Glen Ellen garage fire kills two dogs but house stays safe

A garage fire reported just after midnight was across Arnold Drive from the Glen Ellen fire station, but resident was unable to save two dogs.|

An early morning fire in Glen Ellen, directly across Arnold Drive from the Glen Ellen fire station, destroyed a detached building on a residential lot and took the lives of two dogs, family pets who slept in the garage.

But the incident upset neighbors on Arnold and nearby Riddle Road, one of whom compared her response to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. “Again! PTSD, still shaking, the whole neighborhood up again after those October 8th fires (and now SoCal fires),” reported Nicole Abate Ducarroz on Facebook.

According to Battalion Chief Spencer Andreis of Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority, they received a call a few minutes after midnight on Monday, Dec. 11, and responded with five trucks and two ambulances.

The building was “well-involved” upon the arrival of the response team, but the crew managed to save the nearby home and a trailer on the lot from damage.

“The garage is a total loss,” according to a family member, who described an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the dogs which resulted in minor injuries. Andreis said the man was treated at the scene and did not require ambulance service.

The response team arrived within minutes after the call came in, placed by a neighbor who was awake late when she became aware of the flames. Andreis said the fire was “knocked down,” or under control, in less than half an hour, though trucks were at the location until about 3:30 p.m.

On Monday afternoon, fire and PG&E officials were at the location investigating the fire, which as of this report remains of unknown origin.

The Glen Ellen Fire Department merged with the Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue on July 1. Since that time, the Glen Ellen fire station has been staffed “24/7, 365 days a year,” according to Andreis. Prior to the merger, the Glen Ellen station was only staffed from about 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Email Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.

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