San Rafael Hill fire burns quarter-acre

A quarter–acre grass fire burned on San Rafael Hill early Thursday, the fire department said.

The fire was reported at about 2:30 a.m. near the San Rafael Elks Lodge west of Robert Dollar Drive, San Rafael Fire Department Deputy Chief Bob Sinnott said.

Five engine crews and an ambulance crew responded. Firefighters controlled the blaze within about 20 minutes. No one was evacuated.

“The cause appears to be related to unhoused encampments or related activity, due to personal belongings found in the vicinity,” Sinnott said.

He noted that the fire’s slow rate of spread was influenced by defensible space cleared by the department.

“These efforts essentially removed substantial amounts of combustible vegetation from the hillside, which would have provided additional fuels for the fire to spread,” Sinnott said.

No injuries or structure damage were reported.