Hotter than Hot Spot

On June 23, 2006 a two-alarm fire gutted Rex Ace Hardware and Country Store in Downtown Petaluma. Even before the embers cooled, residents of Petaluma cleared the smokey air with sympathy and sadness normally reserved for the loss of a close friend or relative. The message was clear: We must rebuild. We will not lose a beloved character of Petaluma's historic Downtown.

Hot Spot has obtained exclusive footage of the fire and also welcomes Jeff Tomasini, owner of Rex Hardware, to once again offer his gratitude and amazement for the overwhelming love and support he has received. We also hope to have on hand a bit of Petaluma history in both pictures and tales of heroics from a ground-zero, eye-witness to the first fire that plagued Rex Hardware in 1942.