A fire in the kitchen of an apartment left the unit uninhabitable in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood on Friday, fire officials said.
The fire was reported minutes before noon at 240 Canal St. and firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from a second-floor apartment, according to the San Rafael Fire Department.
No one was in the unit when the fire started and it was reported by a neighbor who heard a smoke detector and went to investigate, fire officials said. Crews evacuated the building and extinguished the fire within about 10 minutes, with no injuries reported.
The fire was contained to the kitchen of the apartment unit, and no other units in the building were affected. The unit where it started was deemed uninhabitable, but all other residents were allowed to return to their apartments by 2 p.m., according to the Fire Department.
The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents. Fire investigators said the cause of the fire was possibly linked to a kitchen appliance, most likely the stove.