Cigarette sparks motel fire in Buellton

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A man smoking in bed sparked a two-alarm fire at a motel complex in Buellton this morning, gutting six rooms and leaving 10 people without a home.
Sheriff's deputies arrested 45-year-old Sven Ronholt for public intoxication at the scene of the fire, authorities said, later determining that a cigarette left on the bed in his room started the blaze at the Farmhouse Motel, 590 Avenue of the Flags. Sheriff's officials said due to the accidental nature of the fire, they will not pursue a criminal charge of arson against Ronholt.

Six fire engine companies arrived on the scene at 7:39 a.m. to find the front of the complex completely engulfed in flames.
"There were ten residents inside the six occupied units at the time," County Fire Spokesman Eli Iskow said. "All of them were out of the complex when firefighters arrived."
Although one occupant sustained a minor injury, the other occupants and firefighters remained unhurt, Iskow said. Fire crews had the blaze under control after 20 minutes on the scene, minimizing damage to an attached apartment unit on the south end and the adjoining two-story, 14-unit complex to the north.
"Four of the six apartments had their doors left open when the occupants left," Iskow said. "Those four apartments are basically destroyed."
Iskow said the two apartments with closed doors sustained far less damage.
"There is a safety message there," Iskow said. "If you are leaving a burning building, be sure to close the doors behind you."
Five individuals displaced by the blaze are receiving support from the Santa Barbara County chapter of the American Red Cross, including housing, food and clothing. Damage to the building is estimated at $500,000. Three vehicles parked outside the motel also sustained damage.