Firefighters respond to two fires within 10 minutes in Petaluma

The Petaluma Fire Department responded to reports of two fires in the span of 10 minutes Wednesday night, straining available staffing and requiring assistance from neighboring agencies to get the unrelated incidents under control.

The first call was to a small fire inside a commercial warehouse in the 3200 block of the Lakeville Highway at Cader Lane just before 7:40 p.m. Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District and the Lakeville Volunteer Fire Department assisted on the incident and the fire was fully contained in about 90 minutes.

The flames caused minor damage to interior walls and mechanical equipment, but the building avoided structural damage, according to Jessica Power, Petaluma’s fire marshal. The business was closed at the time of the fire, she said.

The second call, a report of smoke at a residence in the 100 block of Country Wood Ct., came in about 10 minutes into the first incident. Rancho Adobe took the lead while Petaluma Fire handled the commercial fire.

The house was initially evacuated due to the amount of smoke, believed to be caused by an electrical issue, possibly an overheated appliance, according to Rancho Adobe Fire. The structure was not damaged and the resident was able to return home.