Petaluma fire in home with ‘unauthorized occupant’

Firefighters early Friday extinguished a fire in a garage and attic of a Petaluma home where an “unauthorized occupant” had been staying with his dog.

The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. on Arlington Drive, a residential street near Highway 101 and west of East Washington Street.

When firefighters arrived, the fire already had spread from the garage into the attic above the residence. The “unauthorized occupant,” a man who had been staying in the home without permission, told firefighters he woke up when he heard the sound of fire in the garage and evacuated the residence with his dog, according to a Petaluma Fire press release.

No one else was found living in the home.

It took firefighters from Petaluma, Cal-Fire, Rancho Adobe and Wilmar about 20 minutes to bring the fire under control. None were injured.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Damage from the blaze was estimated at $150,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rdigit