Welcome to Ross Valley Fire Department | Emergencies: Dial 9-1-1

Ross Valley Fire News

News from Ross Valley Fire Department, serving Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, and Sleepy Hollow in Marin county, CA.

San Anselmo Vegetation Fire at Memorial Park

San Anselmo Vegetation Fire at Memorial Park

By Gary Klien - Marin Independent Journal

A homeless man was arrested Thursday after a vegetation fire in San Anselmo forced the evacuation of numerous residents and sent a cloud of smoke blowing over parts of Ross Valley.

Douglas Hall Shumate, 52, was arrested on suspicion of recklessly starting a fire on public land, said Central Marin police Sgt. Julie Gorwood. Shumate was living on the hillside and allegedly disposed of a match improperly, Gorwood said.

Shumate was taken to the jail after medical treatment for a facial burn. He was also booked on suspicion of violating probation.

No other injuries were reported, and the fire did not damage any nearby buildings.

The fire was reported at about 4:15 p.m. in the area of San Anselmo Memorial Park. The fire burned about an acre and threatened the Parkside Apartments on Sunny Hills Drive.

Parkside resident Ronald Morton-Maystein said he was watching television and heard commotion outside, then realized police and firefighters were banging on doors to evacuate the residents.

Morton-Maystein, 37, said the fire was burning on the hillside his apartment faces. He grabbed the cat carriers for his "kids" — Bonnie, Clyde and Cheshire — and hopped in the car to escape.

"I was just thinking about getting out," he said. "I was more freaked out about getting my kids out of there safely. I wasn't thinking about what I was leaving behind."

Spencer Andrews, an employee at Peet's Coffee & Tea at 896 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., said he saw a tree go up in flames near a residence behind the Red Hill Shopping Center.

"I'm hoping everything is OK," he said.

Stacey Kamp, events manager at the Log Cabin, said the fire burned to the top of a hill and was apparently burning more on the other side.

"There's still soccer games going on on the field right now, so I don't think anybody's too worried," she said.

The fire was contained at about 5:15 p.m., said Ross Valley fire spokeswoman JoAnne Lewis. The cause is pending.

Ross Valley firefighters were assisted by firefighters from the county, Larkspur, Kentfield and CalFire, which sent aircraft to drop fire retardant.

Gorwood, the Central Marin police sergeant, said the emergency response was complicated by witnesses running toward the fire to take pictures instead of staying out of the way.

"That became problematic," she said.

Contact Gary Klien via email at gklien@marinij.com or https://twitter.com/GaryKlien

Published by the Marin Independent Journal on September 12, 2013

http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_24082758/san-anselmo-vegetation-fire-forces-evacuations

Our Mission

To protect the lives, property and environment of Ross, San Anselmo, Sleepy Hollow and Fairfax through education, prevention and community service in a professional and caring manner that is fair, honest, respectful and ethical.

Contact Us

Ross Valley Fire Department
777 San Anselmo Avenue
San Anselmo, CA 94960 USA
Tel: (415) 258-4686

For Emergencies, Dial 9-1-1