SONOMA COUNTY (BCN) -- Fire crews in Sonoma County battled a house fire south of Sebastopol Sunday evening that destroyed a two-story home, a battalion chief said.

Crews received calls from neighbors and arrived at the home at 7505 Skidmore Road in unincorporated Sonoma County at about 5:20 p.m., said Gold Ridge Fire District Battalion Chief Andy Pforsich.

The house's occupants were not home when the fire began, he said.  By the time neighbors saw the flames, the fire had consumed much of the home.

"It was already blowing out of the exterior windows in about half the house," he said.

Pforsich estimated the blaze was comparable to a three-alarm fire.

A metal roof that had been installed over the previous roof contributed to the fire's intensity, according to Pforsich.

"It was just like a lid on a pot," he said. "It allowed the heat to spread completely through the house."

Fire crews from Sebastopol, Graton and other nearby districts assisted seven units from the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District in fighting the flames, Pforsich said. Roughly 60 firefighters were at the home, he said.

The home and its contents were a total loss, Pforsich said. He estimated the home and its contents were worth nearly $1 million. The house was between 3,000 and 3,500 square feet, he said.

The couple that owns the home also had relatives visiting from France, Pforsich said. The visiting family members returned home first to find fire crews on the scene.

Investigators have just begun work on determining what caused the fire, Pforsich said.
 
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