Petaluma House Fire Causes $70K In Damage

PETALUMA, CA -- A Petaluma home that caught fire Thursday evening sustained about $70,000 in damages, Petaluma Fire Department officials said.

At 5:49 p.m. on May 4, firefighters responded to a report of a fire at a home at 1500 block of E. Madison Street, according to fire officials. Upon arrival, firefighters found smoke and fire coming from the side of the home's garage.

Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control within about 30 minutes of arrival. Additionally, firefighters had to cut a hole in the home's roof to let the smoke out of the house.

A search team then went inside but found no victims. A small dog was rescued from a back bedroom, and firefighters found a cat inside had died due to smoke inhalation, fire officials said.

The family living in the home was able to escape the fire uninjured. No injuries were reported during the blaze, but the home sustained significant damage, mostly concentrated in the garage and the kitchen.

Fire officials believe the fire started in the garage near the washing machine. The official cause remains under investigation.

Fire officials estimated that the fire caused $50,000 worth of damage to the structure and $20,000 worth of damage to contents inside the home.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock