Budget Inn Blaze: Worse Than All 2010 Fires Combined

A that demolished the back side of the Budget Inn in Rohnert Park Feb. 9 was the most dangerous, and caused more damage than every fire in 2010 combined, according to Lt. John Marty, assistant fire chief with the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

The blaze, which started around 2 p.m. in a motel kitchen and caused an estimated $200,000 in damage, is an example of "the worst kind of fire we ever want to face," Marty said. Total damages tallied in 2010 were $197,157, according to an annual fire report.

It was a commercial, multi-residential fire in a building that was built before construction standards required fire prevention measures — there were no sprinklers in the building, for example, Marty said. And, a lot of year-round residents, many of whom are disabled, were in the building at the time of the fire.

Firefighters and police patrols put out the fire in 25 minutes. 

"The fire was in a free-burning stage, which means it doubles every minute,"  Marty said. "We were able to get 19 public safety officers on the scene, even though there were only four on the engines."

Marty said it's likely the  — having officers cross trained as both firefighters and police officers — that saved lives, and extinguished the fire so quickly.

An off-duty officer called the fire in, and beat patrol officers were on the scene in less than four minutes. Average response time in Rohnert Park is three minutes, 28 seconds, according to the fire report.

Officers are already on the streets, so if there's a fire they can jump in and assist ... and firefighters can take a police role in the case of a bank robbery, for example, Marty said. 

"It was the massive amount of personnel that were there, that were able to extinguish the fire so quickly," he added. "We were very lucky." 

Officers called the total cost of damages by fires in 2010 an anomaly. Normally, annual damages are between $500,000 and $900,000.

There's been one fire-related fatality over the last five years in Rohnert Park, according to Fire Marshal Dan Adam. That death resulted from a mobile home fire ignited by a cigarette.

The Budget Inn fire was ruled accidental. One person suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.