Novato crash, fire, downed power lines affect US Highway 101

A car crash involving possible injuries, a fire, and downed power lines on Thursday morning affected traffic on US Highway 101 near Highway 37 four roughly two hours.  

Crash, fire, downed lines

What we know:

Downed power lines caused thousands of outages in Novato. July 30, 2026

Novato police said that the interchange was closed at South Novato Boulevard because of the crash, which included a fire.

Police asked people to avoid the area, including the on and offramps at Gateway Court, until further notice.

In addition, PG&E said that about more than 6,000 customers were without power. 

The crash was reported about 9:30 a.m. All lanes of US Highway 101 reopened about 11 a.m., according to the California HIghway Patrol. 

SkyFox flew overhead, showing aerials of long lines of traffic and fire crews hacking away at the long grass. 

A white SUV was spotted off to the side, which had apparently veered off the road. 

The SUV appeared to be abandoned and was left parked amidst some charred grass and downed lines. A tow truck was positioned nearby and began taking the SUV away about 11:30 a.m. 

What we don't know:

It's unclear exactly what happened or who was hurt. 

SkyFox flew overhead, showing aerials of long lines of traffic and fire crews hacking away at the long grass. July 30, 2026

The Source: Novato police, PG&E, aerials from SkyFox, CHP Marin 

Novato