Brush Fires Contained In Sausalito, Southbound Highway 101 Reopened

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Firefighters battled two brush fires Tuesday afternoon on the hillside along Highway 101 in the Sausalito and Marin City area of Southern Marin.

Officers shut down southbound Highway 101 at the Marin City off-ramp while firefighters worked to extinguish the fires, each about one to two acres in size, according to Marin County Fire Department. The fires were reported shortly before noon and burned near Spencer Avenue.

Multiple agencies responded to the fires, including Marin County Fire Department, Southern Marin Fire Protection District, Central Marin Fire Department and Mill Valley Fire Department, with assistance from Cal Fire, according to Marin County spokesperson Laine Hendricks. Firefighters deployed 15 engines, one bulldozer, one helicopter, three water tenders, four chief officers, two hand crews and two medic units to the scene.

Residents in the areas of Wolfback Ridge and Cloud View roads and Cloudview Trail were briefly evacuated, but evacuation orders have since been lifted, according to the Sausalito Police Department. Police said it was safe for residents to return to their homes.

Firefighters had stopped forward progress of the fires around 1:30 p.m. The blazes were 90 percent contained by 5:45 p.m.

There was no access to southbound Highway 101 through Mill Valley for hours, according to the Mill Valley Police Department. The Marin City off-ramp was closed and southbound traffic was backed up to Seminary Drive.

Officials advised motorists to seek alternate routes around the area.

By 1:40 p.m., there was no estimated time for the highway to reopen, according to the California Highway Patrol. One southbound lane reopened around an hour later.

All southbound lanes were opened by 7:30 p.m., according to the CHP. Marin County Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire District remained on scene overnight to mop up hot spots.

Also see:

• Smoke From Wildfires Continues To Affect Northern California
• SMART Reopens Stations, Continues Free Train Service
• Marin Firefighters Kickstart Bike Drive For Kids Affected By Wildfires

Photo via Marin County Fire Department