Firefighters in San Rafael extinguished a house fire this week after a neighbor walking his dog heard multiple fire alarms going off inside the residence, the Fire Department said.
On Monday just before 2:30 p.m., a man walking his dog on Blossom Drive heard multiple smoke detectors going off inside a home. He went to the front door to investigate but the residents were not home; he texted them and was able to get an access code to the house. He went inside and saw smoke throughout the house and flames near a gas fireplace in the living room.
“He immediately called 9-1-1 to report the emergency and, while firefighters were responding, turned off the natural gas supply at the meter after suspecting the gas fireplace may have been involved,” said the San Rafael Fire Department.
Firefighters located a smoldering fire beneath the floor in the crawlspace below the living room and extinguished it.
The Fire Department said the whole event was a good example of what to do to lower risks of damaging fires — the smoke alarms were loud enough to hear from the street and the neighbor had the homeowner’s contact information readily available.
“The homeowner’s ability to provide electronic entry further reduced delays, allowing the fire to be controlled before it could spread,” the Fire Department said.
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
