Fire investigators have determined that arcing power lines caused a vegetation fire that was held to about one acre July 4-5 on the slope of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. July 4, the Marin County Fire Department responded with several other agencies to a reported vegetation fire Mt. Tam. The blaze was called the Indian Fire because of its proximity to the Indian Fire Road near Mill Valley. Firefighters quickly controlled the blaze and fully contained it on the morning of July 5. Firefighters worked through the day July 5 to put out hot spots and keep the fire line from spreading.
Investigators from Cal Fire and the Marin County Fire Department made the determination of cause based on the fire’s location, the intensity of the wind at the time of the fire and several other factors.
“This should be a huge wake-up call for all Marin residents,” said Mike Giannini, Battalion Chief for the Marin County Fire Department. “This fire was relatively small but had great potential to destroy many homes and the surrounding landscape.”
Residents should continually maintain adequate defensible space around homes to reduce the threat of wildfire. Prevention tips can be found at marincountyfire.org.
