House Fire Displaces 3 In Rohnert Park

ROHNERT PARK, CA — Three people were displaced Sunday night by a fire at Rohnert Park home that firefighters believe may have been sparked by a space heater. The fire in the 300 block of Alden Avenue was reported at 4:54 p.m. by neighbors who saw smoke and flames coming from the house, according to Sgt. Jeff Justice of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

"One of the residents also called and stated the fire had started in the garage approximately five minutes earlier," Justice said.

Crews from Rohnert Park, Rancho Adobe Fire, Sonoma County Fire and Santa Rosa Fire all responded to the structure fire east of U.S. Highway 101 off Southwest Boulevard.

A Rohnert Park DPS officer who was on scene within three minutes saw heavy black smoke coming from the garage and flames moving up toward the roof, Justice said.

The officer also reported seeing a resident in the garage using a garden hose to try and stop the fire from moving into the house.

"The resident was removed from the house for their safety," Justice said.

The fire was brought under control within 20 minutes.

Firefighters reported that when they cut away the garage door to access the fire, they noticed the inside of the garage had been walled off and converted into bedrooms.

"Based on the initial investigation it is believed the fire potentially started from a small space heater in the converted bedroom," Justice said.

The blaze caused approximately $250,000 in damages to the home, with the majority of damage contained to the garage and a car parked next to the residence.

A city building inspector responded and determined the building was uninhabitable.

The only injury reported was possible smoke inhalation suffered by one resident. Paramedics evaluated the resident at the scene, according to Rohnert Park DPS.