PETALUMA, Calif. -- Eight occupants escaped a fire that destroyed more than half of a three-story vacation rental house in Sonoma Valley early Sunday morning, Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority Chief Steve Akre said.
Four couples were awoken by the fire in the Diamond A residential area in the hills of western Sonoma Valley just before 1:30 a.m., according to the fire authority.
[Ads /]
Firefighters arrived in nine minutes and controlled the fire in about an hour. Firefighters from Kenwood, Glen Ellen, Schell-Vista, Cal Fire and Petaluma provided mutual aid and most units left the scene at 7:30 a.m.
Most of the guests lost their belongings and identification in the fire. The cause and origin of the blaze are still under investigation, Akre said this morning.
[Ads /]
The vacation rental is a total loss, fire officials said.