Fire at Santa Rosa homes sounds like gunfire, brings out police

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Two houses suffered extreme damage in Santa Rosa Tuesday morning and the fire sounded like gunshots to many neighbors, prompting police to show up at the call, officials said.

There was no gunfire, however, the fiery explosion caused quite a scene for the neighbors along San Miguel Place, where the fire was reported about 3:45 a.m., according to fire spokesman Paul Lowenthal. People living in 12 nearby homes had to evacuate temporarily.

He said there was a natural gas leak and the fire spread to the exterior attics of both homes. 

"Due to the destruction from the fire itself, the natural gas was compromised so PG&E will have to dig up the street to put out the gas and allow us to fully put out the fire and hotspots within the residences themselves," he said. 

By 6 a.m., PG&E crews came by to fix the gas problem.