Fire At Occidental Arts & Ecology Center Burns Barn, Outbuildings

By Peter Fournier, Bay City News Service:

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A fire destroyed a barn and two outbuildings that housed a woodworking shop at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in unincorporated Sonoma County on Tuesday night, according to Occidental Fire Department officials.

The blaze was first reported at 8:50 p.m. Tuesday at the center located at 15290 Coleman Valley Road, Fire Chief Ron Lunardi said.

"Property owners heard explosions and that's when they became aware of the fire," he said.

Fire crews arrived at the scene within four minutes as they were already out on a separate medical call, according to Lunardi. The woodshop on the center grounds is located in a 4,000-5,000 square-foot, two-story barn.

Eight water tenders, five engines, three type-3 brush trucks and two chief officers were dispatched to the scene.

"It's normal in a rural area where we request a lot of water tenders to keep water flow on the fire," Lunardi said.

About an hour after the initial call, around 10 p.m., crews were able to start knocking down and containing the blaze. Lunardi didn't provide an exact containment time. Nobody was injured or displaced.

Crews remained on the scene throughout the night; fire task force investigators arrived Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire did not immediately appear suspicious, Lunardi said.

The three destroyed structures have been declared total losses in the area of $250,000-$350,000, according to Lunardi. Approximately 1/8th of an acre of vegetation was also charred.

The center is described on its website as "an 80-acre research, demonstration, advocacy and organizing center in Sonoma County, California that develops strategies for regional-scale community resilience."

Resources from Bodega Fire, Bodega Bay Fire Protection District, Gold Ridge Fire Protection District, Graton Fire Protection District, Sonoma County Fire, Camp Meeker Fire, Monte Rio Fire Protection District and Cal Fire assisted in fighting the inferno.

Copyright©2020 by Bay City News, Inc.—Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without
the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.