Update: Fire Hits Condos at Parkhaven; All Get Out Safely

Electrical wiring in a kitchen wall shared by two condominiums was believed to be the source of a Tuesday night fire that caused $75,000 in damage at the Parkhaven neighborhood in west Novato, a fire official said Wednesday.

One family was forced to find another place to stay Tuesday night after the fire struck at 122 Oliva Court. The other family whose unit was uninhabitable could not be contacted by Novato Fire District officials, Battalion Chief Mike Hughes said Wednesday.

All the occupants of the six-unit building got out safely before fire trucks arrived at 6:39 p.m. Tuesday, and there were no injuries, Battalion Chief Mark Heine said at the scene. An emergency call was made at 6:33 p.m. and the single-alarm fire was under control by 7:10 p.m., Heine said.

The fire started between units B and C and spread to the attics of both units plus unit D, Heine said. "It climbed up the common wall shared by the kitchens and into the second floor and attic," Hughes said. "Unit C was the worst hit, but we never got in contact with those people."

Four engines, one truck, one medical unit and 23 personnel responded to the fire, which caused extensive smoke and water damage. Firefighters peeled back walls to fight the blaze and later out carried shovels full of plaster debris onto the parking lot.

Fire officials said it was not necessary to call in the American Red Cross, which comes to the aid of fire victims, because the large family in unit B was being taken in by friends or other family members Tuesday night.

An insurance agent who lived in an adjacent building said he represented the families living on either side of the burned-out apartment. The agent, who was on hold with his corporate office Tuesday night and did not provide his name, said he had already filed claims for his clients.