Electrical wiring in TV cabinet starts 2-alarm Santa Rosa house fire

The two-alarm fire on a rainy Monday night in the Lomitas Heights neighborhood off Chanate Road ultimately was controlled in 30 minutes and likely caused by a wiring issue in a television cabinet.

But it set a lot of people on edge.

The 5:55 p.m. call to Stonecrest Court brought 29 firefighters, including six engines and two ladder trucks, as fire officials first to the scene struck a second alarm to get more help. The proximity to homes damaged in October’s Tubbs fire caused some panic.

“Everybody is still very sensitive to what they experienced three months ago,” Battalion Chief Mark Basque said. “People up the block were running up to where I was set up asking if they needed to evacuate. While it’s understandable given what all those people went through, it wasn’t necessary in this case.”

The fire started in the master bedroom of the 3,600-square-foot residence, said fire inspector Kemplen Robbins, and destroyed three rooms of the home. Other areas had minor smoke and water damage.

The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damage.

-Randi Rossmann