Update: Apartment Fire Damages Four Units

A fire at an apartment building on South Novato boulevard and rendered two of the units unihabitable, according to Novato Fire Captain Chris Wikeen.

Battalion Cheif Mark Heine said that a 911 call was received on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. for a fire in a first floor apartment at the Otavon Apartments, 1515 South Novato Blvd.

The first arriving fire units found a fire in a downstairs apartment that had burned inside a wall to two second story apartments. 

A plumber had used a welding torch on copper piping. It is suspected that heat from the torch ignited insulation inside the wall, said Heine.

Heine said the fire quickly spread to the second story apartments.  There was fire and smoke damage to two first story apartments and two second story apartments. 

The fire was under control at 11:25 after going to two alarms, bringing support from the Marinwood and San Rafael Fire Department’s.