Fire in Marin Co. caused by downed power line, 80 percent contained

Marin County firefighters battled a vegetation fire near Samuel P. Taylor State Park on Sept. 10, 2018 where mandatory evacuations were ordered.

By Bay City News Service

The 152-acre Irving Fire in Marin County is 80 percent contained as of 2 p.m. today, the Marin County Fire Department said.

Investigators said the vegetation fire near the east border of Samuel P. Taylor State Park northeast of Lagunitas was caused by a downed power line at the base of the south side of Mount Barnabe around the Ridge Trail. It was reported around 7 p.m. Monday.

The fire's forward progress has been stopped and air support has been released from the fire, fire officials said. There were 83 personnel at the fire today, and crews are still heavily engaged extinguishing hot spots.

Evacuations were lifted Tuesday evening, and no structures were affected by the fire.

"This fire highlights that we're in the worst part of the fire season for the North Bay," Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber said. 

He said that residents should create defensible space around their homes, make an evacuation checklist and register for emergency notification through Alert Marin. 

The system uses landlines for notification, but residents can opt-in for cellphone notifications, VOIP phone lines and email. Registration is available at AlertMarin.org.