San Rafael Family of Escapes House Fire Unharmed

A San Rafael family of six escaped a house fire early Friday morning in the Santa Venetia neighborhood unharmed, authorities said.

San Rafael firefighters responding to a 9-1-1 call at about 2:45 a.m. at 828 Rosal Way extinguished the blaze shortly afterwards.

Firefighters arriving on the scene found an attic blaze dangerously close to overtaking the home. They immediately evacuated the family and their two pet turtles.

No injuries were reported.

“Firefighters did a terrific job of extinguishing the stubborn fire under challenging conditions with a total of 15 personnel working on scene to limit damage and protect and save the family's possessions,” San Rafael Fire Chief Chris Gray said in a prepared statement.”

The cause of the fire was faulty electrical circuit breakers. Residents of the home reported electrical circuit breakers tripping numerous times earlier in the day.

Damage to the attic and roof is estimated at $80,000 to $100,000.

The Red Cross is assisting the family.

The home was not equipped was a smoke detector.

“The incident should serve as an important lesson that all residents should quickly call 9-1-1 if they suspect a problem in their home and every living unit must have operable smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed,” Gray said.