Crews Rescue Elderly Woman From Burning Home

SONOMA COUNTY, CA – An 87-year-old woman was rescued from her burning single-story home in east Santa Rosa late Thursday night, a Santa Rosa Fire Department battalion chief said.

The Santa Rosa Fire Department responded around 11:45 p.m. to a fire in a residence at 2080 Geary Drive.

Capt. Don Ricci noticed a neighbor, Eric Roberts, trying to get into a rear window of the home, Battalion Chief Mark Basque said. Roberts said the woman was physically unable to climb out the window, so Ricci climbed through the window, picked the woman up and carried her to Roberts outside the window, Basque said.

The woman was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Two small dogs also were rescued from the blaze, Basque said.

There were no smoke alarms in the house, but closed doors between the fire in the front of the house and the woman enabled her to survive, Basque said.

Firefighters controlled the fire in 10 minutes. The fire destroyed one room and caused heavy smoke damage to three other rooms, Basque said. The cause of the fire that caused $100,000 damage appears to be an overloaded electrical outlet, Basque said.

• ALSO SEE: Petaluma Resident Gives Bike To Theft Victim

--Bay City News/Image courtesy of City of Santa Rosa Fire Department