Homemade Fireworks Spark Fire In San Rafael, Man Arrested

SAN RAFAEL, CA — A Novato man is accused of causing a fire after setting off homemade fireworks in San Rafael, according to police.

Police said the devices ignited vegetation near a Terra Linda apartment complex on Cresta Way a few minutes after 6 p.m. Tuesday. The short distance between the flames and the building prompted fire crews to evacuate residents from the apartments until the fire could be extinguished.

According to police, witnesses pointed officers to a man who was seen setting off fireworks shortly before the blaze. Police said the man admitted to having more homemade fireworks in his vehicle, which were seized as evidence. He was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of manufacturing fireworks and possession of fireworks.

The San Rafael Fire Department contained the fire to a few hundred square feet, and the UC Berkeley Bomb Squad responded to the scene to confiscate the fireworks.

"This case reminds us of the dangers of fireworks," the police department said on Facebook. "All fireworks are prohibited in Marin County and San Rafael. Persons who violate the Marin County fireworks prohibition can be held criminally and civilly liable."