By Gary Klien
Marin Independent Journal (California)
Copyright 2007 Marin Independent Journal, a MediaNews Group publication
All Rights Reserved
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Four properties were damaged, two cars were destroyed and a firefighter was injured Thursday when a two-alarm fire broke out in a garage in San Rafael.
The fire started about 2:20 p.m. in a detached two-car garage at 56 Dunfries Terrace in the Loch Lomond area. The flames did not reach the main residence, but they burned a wood shake roof next door at 52 Dunfries Terrace, plus a deck, fencing and shrubs at two adjacent residences on Bonnie Banks Way.
Sylvia Kolbert, who was visiting a friend at 62 Dunfries Terrace, was watching the smoke rise from the neighboring property when “all of a sudden it went red.”
“We thought it was coming up here,” Kolbert said. “A tree was burning. We got scared. It was close.”
Firefighters had the fire under control by about 3:45 p.m. One firefighter suffered minor neck pain when part of a wall fell on him, said San Rafael fire Capt. Marcus Mathis. The fireman did not require medical treatment and remained on duty.
No other injuries were reported.
The damage was estimated at $150,000. The burned garage contained a Rolls Royce and a Mercedes-Benz, both of which were destroyed.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.