Smoke alarm alerts Santa Rosa couple to garage fire

Santa Rosa fire officials credited a smoke alarm with alerting a Santa Rosa couple to a fire in their garage Monday evening, allowing the pair to evacuate safely and prevent flames from spreading to their home.

The alarm sounded just before 6 p.m. on Ironwood Court, a short cul-de-sac off Beechwood Drive near Barham Avenue in the south-central part of town, around the same time the couple noticed lapses in their electrical service, Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Mark Basque said.

Firefighters found a fire in the garage that either had disrupted some of the wiring or been caused by it, he said. Crews quickly doused the flames, preventing them from reaching the attic, though there was some damage in the roof of the garage, Basque said.

There was also light smoke damage in the single-story house, but not enough to displace the couple, he said. Basque estimated the damage at about $60,000. No vehicles were in the garage when the fire started, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.