Valentine’s Day house fire quickly snuffed out

An elderly man suffered smoke inhalation after his couch caught fire on Sunday afternoon, filling the home with smoke. The man needed help to escape the residence, and the Petaluma Fire Department was on scene to help within 5 minutes.

A woman who also lived in the home was unharmed, and found waiting outside when firefighters arrived just after 3 p.m. The overhead sprinkler system and smoke alarm both activated, helping to quell the flames and alert the homeowners while fire trucks arrived at the residence in the 1800 block of Fieldstone Lane.

The man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, then brought to Petaluma Valley Hospital out of an abundance of caution. He was later released.

While police are still investigating the cause of the Valentine’s Day blaze, an overloaded electrical cord under the couch could be a culprit, firefighter Mike Medeiros said in a press release. The home was “red tagged” by the City of Petaluma Building Department and Fire Prevention Bureau because the sprinklers were deployed and the utilities had to be temporarily turned off. Both residents of the home will stay with family while the property is cleaned up and made habitable.

The estimated cost of the damage is $25,000.