Homes Saved from Grass Fire in Downtown Area

Several homes were threatened by a one-acre grass fire Friday evening in downtown Novato, fire officials said, but no structures were burned.

crews responded at 6:20 p.m. to the two-alarm blaze in an open space area near Seventh Street and Ike Court. About a half acre of brush was burning uphill and crews fended off the flames near a home that was immediately threatened, according to Deputy Chief Eric Nickel.

About an acre burned before the fire was declared contained at about 6:42 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Nickel said one firefighter was treated and released from a hospital with an ankle injury.

Novato Fire responded with five engines, one paramedic unit, several chief officers and a fire investigator. Mutual aid crews from Marinwood, Marin County Fire and San Rafael assisted.

Nickel credited residents in the area for a good job of cutting the dry grass to create a defensible space. Homeowners in the wildland urban interface are required to cut grass back from homes to create a safety buffer. Learn more about the wildland urban interface by going to www.novatofire.org and looking under the "residents" tab.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.