Petaluma firefighters had to deal with two large structure fires in the past week, including a fire in the 1200 block of Petaluma Boulevard North that claimed the lives of two pets.
The fire, which started around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, January 13, was immediately responded to by firefighters from the Petaluma Fire Department and Rancho Adobe Fire District, who arrived to find smoke and flames billowing from the fire. second story window of a three story house. Crews worked quickly to contain the fire within 20 minutes, according to a news release from the Petaluma Fire Department.
Fire officials said the fire was called by an “alert neighbor” and that a resident, one of two inside the home at the time, also called 911 after being awakened by smoke. Both residents escaped safely.
No injuries to firefighters or others were reported, but “Unfortunately, two of the four pets inside the home, a dog and a guinea pig, did not survive despite resuscitation efforts by crews,” the department said. .
“Fire investigators from the Bureau of Fire Prevention arrived at the scene to survey the damage and investigate the cause, which has yet to be determined,” the department said. “Smoke and fire damage was extensive on the second and third levels of the home. Crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading further to other areas of the structure.”
Firefighters from the Sonoma Valley Fire and North Bay Fire Districts also responded to the scene. Other agencies that responded included the Petaluma Building Department, which declared the home uninhabitable, North Bay Animal Services, which helped residents with options for their pets, and Petaluma police.
The Petaluma Fire Department also wanted to remind residents “that fire alarms and smoke detectors alert residents to a fire, often before they know it, giving residents time to escape.” . Also, residents should always know two ways to get out of the house in an emergency.”
Don Frances is editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier. Contact him at [email protected]