Fireplace Ashes Causes Santa Rosa Garage Fire

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- A fire that caused about $50,000 damage to a home in Santa Rosa early Friday morning serves as a reminder about the danger of fireplace ashes, a fire battalion chief said.

The single-alarm fire was reported at about 1 a.m. at a home in the 5700 block of Raters Drive, Santa Rosa fire Battalion Chief Jack Piccinini said.

A man, his wife and two teenage daughters awoke to smell smoke in their house and discovered that the garage was on fire, Piccinini said.

Firefighters were able to quickly control the blaze, which managed to cause about $50,000 in damage to the garage and its contents.

The items damaged included a new BMW and a Lexus sport utility vehicle, which sustained smoke damage, blistered paint, and melted mirrors, Piccinini said.

No one was injured in the blaze, he said.

The fire was caused by fireplace ashes that were placed in a small metal container near a doggie bed in the garage, according to Piccinini.

"The heat just transmitted through the bucket" and reignited the ashes, he said.

With the cold weather prompting more people to use their fireplaces, the fire department was encouraging residents to be mindful of how they dispose of the subsequent ashes.

"The metal container was a good start, but leave the metal container out in an open area, not near combustibles," Piccinini said.

"Ashes are really truly deceiving," he said. "They look cold, and don't notice they're hot when you put them in the bucket, but they stay hot for a couple of days."