Crime & Safety

Deck Construction Sparks San Rafael Residential Fire

A work crew using a torch for waterproofing purposes on the deck of a four-level house started a Thursday afternoon blaze, according to the San Rafael fire officials.

 

A contractor doing “hot mop roofing” to an exterior deck accidentally started a fire Thursday afternoon that quickly spread toward the interior of a multi-level home at 187 Oak Drive, waterfront property near San Rafael’s Loch Lomond marina. 

A “prompt” 911 call made around 4:55 p.m. and initial actions by occupants and the contractor helped limit the spread of the fire, according to San Rafael Fire Chief Chris Gray. 

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When the 12 San Rafael firefighters arrived on the scene, the four-level house had an exterior fire on the deck that had spread to the interior wall of the home.

“Older construction and the degraded condition of the wood framing contributed to the fire's rapid spread,” Gray said in an e-mail. “Firefighters worked to make sure the fire did not burn further into wall/floor/ceiling spaces or the attic.”

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No one was injured in the incident. 

Gray said “hot mop roofing” generally uses a torch to melt roofing materials and create a waterproof seal.

The old wood in the building’s deck and wall ignited, quickly burning and causing the fire to spread, according to Gray.

Residents and construction workers are urged to use caution when using any open flames around combustible materials. “Please call the fire department if you need help,” Gray said. (The fire department's number is 485-3307.) 

The same day, San Rafael firefighters extinguished a small vegetation fire on San Rafael Hill that started in an “obvious homeless encampment,” according to Gray. A motorist driving north on Highway 101 had called 911 just before noon to report the fire. Fire crews found the fire burning several hundred feet above the rear parking lot at the Falkirk Cultural Center, located at 1408 Mission Avenue.

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