Chad Hawley discovered the side of his home burning on Ravenwood Court at about 1:50 a.m. because a gas barbecue built into his backyard patio was left running from Wednesday night, a Petaluma Fire Department spokesman said.
Hawley extinguished the fire, but not before it burned the barbecue and through a stucco wall of his house. Hawley, his wife, and teenage son were not injured, fire Battalion Chief Jeff Holden said.
About seven firefighters responded to the fire at about 1:55 a.m. Charred areas of the barbecue were exposed and cooled with water, Holden said.
A damage estimate was not immediately available.
