A kitchen fire at a Canal neighborhood apartment building Tuesday, Aug. 18, displaced four residents and prompted a large San Rafael Fire Department response that included the rescue of a family dog left behind during evacuation.

Firefighters arrived at 16 Elaine Way, a five-unit, two-story building, after dispatch at 1:07 p.m. and found the kitchen of one unit on fire, according to a city press release. The occupants had already fled, but their dog remained trapped inside.

Crews located the dog and brought it out unharmed, reuniting it with its owners on scene.

The department sent three chief officers, four engines, two ladder trucks and a paramedic ambulance. San Rafael Police and PG&E also responded. Battalion Chief Paul Bernard served as incident commander.

Investigators determined the fire started on the stove and spread to other areas of the kitchen. Crews contained the blaze to the kitchen, protecting the rest of the unit and neighboring apartments from fire damage.

No one was injured.

The kitchen sustained substantial damage, and thick smoke left the remainder of the apartment temporarily uninhabitable, the department said. A damage estimate has not been determined.

The American Red Cross was called to assist the four displaced occupants, providing temporary lodging and other immediate needs.

Deputy Fire Chief Robert Sinnott told the Marin Independent Journal that the occupants fled the apartment but the dog was left inside. The press release noted residents evacuated quickly when the fire broke out.

The department urged residents never to re-enter a burning building for pets or belongings, noting that firefighters are trained to rescue animals when conditions allow.