Crime & Safety

Fire Officials Suspect Blaze at Historic C Ranch Was Caused by Space Heater

There was too much damage to the trailer to enable fire investigators to eliminate other potential sources of the fire.

By Bay City News Service

A fire that destroyed two mobile homes on the Spaletta Dairy and Ranch property at the Point Reyes National Seashore might have been caused by a malfunctioning space heater, Marin County Fire Marshall Scott Alber said this afternoon.

"We can't confirm it one way or another," Alber said this afternoon.

The fire at the historic C Ranch in the 22000 block of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard was reported around 8 p.m. Tuesday and displaced 12 people, including children and some Spaletta Dairy employees.

Alber said the fire started in a bedroom of one of the two trailers that was home to a man and his brother. The man said he left the trailer about an hour before the fire was reported, Alber said.

There was a space heater and electric alarm clock in the bedroom, and it's suspected the space heater started the fire, Alber said.

There was too much damage to the trailer to enable fire investigators to eliminate other potential sources of the fire except smoking materials and candles, Alber said.

"The man said he didn't smoke or use candles," Alber said.

The two trailers are about 12 feet wide and 50 feet long and were 10 feet apart, Alber said. Four cars also were destroyed in the fire.

Firefighters kept the fire from a historic 1870s farmhouse. An outbuilding between the two trailers and the farmhouse also was spared, Alber said.

The two mobile homes were burned down to their metal frames, Alber said.

The Ross Valley Fire Department, Marin County Fire Department, Novato and Inverness fire protection districts and the National Park Service responded to the blaze.

The Red Cross found lodging for the displaced residents.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. – Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reusewithout the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.


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