San Anselmo house fire destroys garage, vehicle
A two-alarm fire decimated a vehicle and detached garage and took down a power line at a home in San Anselmo on Tuesday.
The fire, at 39 Bennit Ave., sent plumes of black smoke into the air, prompting 911 calls starting at 10:52 a.m., Marin County Fire Department Battalion Chief Todd Overshiner said.
Ross Valley Fire Department responded, along with crews from Central Marin, Marin County and San Rafael, he said. They were able to knock down the fire at 11:11 a.m., containing the blaze to the single property. Full containment was achieved at noon, Overshiner said. No one was hurt.
“The garage and the vehicle parked in the driveway in front of the garage are a total loss,” Overshiner said. No one was home at the time, he added.
The home itself sustained smoke and water damage but was not consumed by the flames. Damage is estimated at $250,000, said Battalion Chief Scott Alber, fire marshal for the Marin County Fire Department.
The cause of the blaze, which is believed to have to have started in the garage, is under investigation, Overshiner said.
He said two people were displaced — the homeowner and her granddaughter.
The heat from the fire is thought to have melted insulation around a power line that had stretched from a main utility pole on Bennit Avenue to a corner of the house. That seems to have caused the power line to go down, triggering sparks where the broken line touched a tree on the front lawn.
PG&E crews shut off power to the house, which stopped the sparks.
Gary Bloom, a neighbor who was among those watching the incident, said he was initially worried about the fire spreading to other homes or properties. But his worry turned to relief when he saw how fast the crews responded, he said.
“These guys just swooped right in,” he said. “Their response was amazing. They are brave souls.”
Bloom said he had heard some explosions during the initial part of the fire.
Police from San Anselmo, Fairfax, Central Marin and San Rafael assisted with traffic and crowd control.