Crime & Safety

Resident Taken to Hospital for Smoke Inhalation After Fire Breaks Out in Kitchen

Residents displaced after smoke damages significant portions of home

One person was taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation and another suffered a burn on his finger after a fire broke out in an apartment in the 600 block of Lakeville Circle Thursday around 12:45pm.

The fire started in the kitchen and caused damage throughout the residence, said Petaluma Fire Battalion Chief Russ Rusmussen.  When firefighters arrived, one of the residents had already put out the fire using a dry chemical fire extinguisher, but there was still smoke on the first floor and moderate smoke on the second floor, Rasmussen said.

One resident was sleeping on the second floor when the fire started, but was woken up by the smoke detector and escaped the apartment, which firefighters say potentially saved his life.

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Damages from the fire are estimated at $5,000 and the cause is still under investigation. The residents have been displaced from the home, but fire officials did not have further details about where they had sought housing.


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