House fire in Larkfield-Wikiup neighborhood displaces 4

A house in the Larkfield-Wikiup neighborhood caught fire early Sunday, displacing a family of four and causing an estimated $100,000 in damages, the Sonoma County Fire District reported.

The agency sent at about 7:30 a.m. several units to the Sussex Drive home, just east of Old Redwood Highway, emergency dispatchers said. When crews arrived, they saw smoke coming out from the roof and traced the fire to the back of the home and the attic, Battalion Chief Michael Elson said.

The residents fled the home after hearing the sound of fire crackling from the attic, which they used for storage, Elson said.

No one was seriously injured, though a man suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation after attempting to put out the fire with a garden house before firefighters arrived. He was treated at the site, and the flames was contained within 25 minutes, Elson said.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation Sunday afternoon but investigators suspect the blaze started at the rear exterior of the home before moving into the attic, Elson said. Fire personnel cleared storage from the attic in search of remaining embers for about four hours, Elson said.

The family planned to stay with relatives as the home was inhabitable, Elson said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.