Pine Fire Burns 38 Acres In Marin, 75% Contained

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Firefighters battled a 38-acre wildfire Tuesday near Kent Lake, about two miles southwest of Woodacre in Marin County.

A park ranger reported the fire shortly before 10:30 a.m., according to Marin County Fire Department. Deputy Fire Chief Mark Brown said the fire was moving slowly and burning mostly grass and brush.

By 3:30 p.m., the fire had burned 38 acres and was 75 percent contained. Officials expect the fire to be fully contained by 6 p.m.

During its first few hours, about 40 personnel battled the blaze, which started as a small grass fire near the junction of Pine Mountain Fire Road and Azalea Hill Trail off Fairfax-Bolinas Road, according to Marin County Fire. By early afternoon, and with support from CAL FIRE hand crews, roughly 80 personnel were on the scene.

Marin County Fire deployed its off-road fire engines, bulldozer and water tenders, fire officials said. Firefighters from the Tam Fire Crew, along with CAL FIRE hand crews, battled the blaze from the ground.

Firefighters prevented the fire from crossing north of Pine Mountain Fire Road toward the San Geronimo Valley, officials said. The closest homes were about 2.5 miles away in San Geronimo and Woodacre, and there were no evacuations.

With strong winds and high humidity, Brown said the fire was difficult to reach.

“We were fortunate that there was high humidity due to the fog and helped to hold the fire in check until we could get resources at scene,” Brown said in a statement. “Retardant drops from the air tankers were key in limiting the spread of the fire and keeping it from reaching and potentially moving over Pine Mountain Fire Road. While it took a long time to get personnel to the scene, once they did get there, we had sufficient numbers to make quick work on the fire and increase containment.”

According to the Fairfax Police Department, police began receiving calls about 10:30 a.m. from Cascade Canyon area residents who smelled smoke. Although the fire was in the county's jurisdiction, winds blowing from the northeast reportedly blew smoke into nearby Fairfax.

Airplanes and helicopters from CAL FIRE first arrived at 11:15 a.m., dropping orange retardant as well as water from nearby Kent Lake, according to fire officials. The Marin Municipal Water District, Ross Valley Fire Department, Mill Valley Fire Department, Larkspur Fire Department and Pacific Gas & Electric Company also aided Marin County Fire.

The size of the fire was estimated at 15 acres for much of the day, but with a more accurate reading from a helicopter in mid-afternoon, officials revised the acreage to 38 by about 3:30 p.m.

There were no structural threats and no injuries were reported.

Officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire.

This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for updates. Details may change as more information becomes available.

Photos courtesy of Marin County Fire Department