East Petaluma house burns in early morning fire

The sleeping family learned their home was on fire early Tuesday when a neighbor pounded on their front door, said a Petaluma fire official.|

Fire at an east Petaluma home early Tuesday got the attention of a neighbor who pounded on the front door and awakened a sleeping family, said a Petaluma fire official.

Firefighters were called at 5:24 a.m. and arrived in six minutes to the eastside home on Albert Way in southeast Petaluma. They found flames in the garage attic but the fire’s spread had been somewhat stalled by water from garden hoses used by the residents and the neighbor, said Petaluma Battalion Chief Jeff Holden.

Holden estimated the damage at $10,000, but said the family was lucky it wasn’t far worse.

The house had no working smoke detector and Holden credited the neighbor with the family’s safe exit. The fire initially was reported by a passerby who called 911 but didn’t stop.

It started in a recycling bin, burned up a nearby garage wall and into the attic. “Another 5 minutes and it would have burned the roof off the garage,” Holden said.

While the investigation into the cause was ongoing, two possibilities were a smoldering cigarette or staining materials in the recycling bin, Holden said.

Albert Way is in a subdivision near Ely Boulevard and Caulfield Lane.

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