Grassfire Scorches Nearly an Acre in Novato; Kids With Matches Fess Up

Kids playing with matches in a Novato backyard learned a hard lesson Friday afternoon: Fire is sorta cool to watch when it’s contained in a fireplace or campfire, but it’s not so cool when it’s out of control and burning up a hillside.

The combination of curious kids, matches, a lighter, dry grass and windy conditions led to a hillside fire at the end of Gothic Drive, blackening .85 acres and coming with 20 feet of several homes, according to Battalion Chief Mike Hughes.

The first call came in at 3:32 p.m. that a fire was burning behind 20 Gothic Drive. The district responded five engines and a paramedic rig in addition to three chiefs. In all, 20 firefighters took part in fighting the fire and several officers from the worked on traffic control in the area.

Hughes said the single-alarm fire was contained at 3:55 p.m. after threatening homes at the end of Zanco Way and Pearl Court. Several residents were seen with garden hoses wetting down their backyards.

Fire Marshal Bill Tyler interviewed several people on Gothic Drive and determined that kids playing in a backyard caused the fire.

Hughes added that many grassfires happen despite moist conditions in the morning, as there were in Novato on Friday.

“It’s a good lesson as we head toward the Fourth of July,” Hughes said. “We live within an urban wildland interface and that’s got to be prevalent to what we’re doing. Fireworks are not permitted in the city limits because of just these types of things. (The district) has been getting some calls from people requesting us to allow bottle rockets, and we’re telling them no. This is a prime example of what can happen even though it rained a little bit this morning.”