Two power lines whipping together in high winds sparked the vegetation fire that burned roughly 4,000 square feet of marsh near the Home Depot at 111 Shoreline Parkway on July 15, according to the San Rafael Fire Department's official account published eight days later.

That finding refines the initial report. On the day of the fire, Deputy Chief Robert Sinnott told the Marin Independent Journal that a fallen power line most likely caused the blaze. The department's July 23 press release clarifies that the lines did not fall but rather swung into each other while still attached to a nearby utility pole.

According to the department's account, a PG&E representative at the scene said gusts caused the two lines to contact, sending sparks into dry grass at the pole's base. The department described the finding as preliminary.

PSPS conditions were in effect

The fire broke out at approximately 4:15 p.m. while Public Safety Power Shutoff conditions were active across portions of Marin County. Strong winds were impacting the region, the department said.

Firefighters contained the blaze within about 20 minutes, according to Sinnott's July 15 account to the Marin IJ. No one was injured, and no structures were damaged.

An aerial photo taken by the department's drone shows a crew from Engine 654 stopping the fire's southward push through the wind-driven marsh grass.

Home Depot's clearing credited

In its press release, the San Rafael Fire Department formally recognized Home Depot for completing a large-scale vegetation reduction project around the perimeter of its Shoreline Parkway property before the fire. The department said those mitigation measures reduced available fuel and helped crews contain the blaze quickly.

The recognition is notable in a county where roughly 69,000 of more than 106,000 residences sit within the wildland-urban interface, according to the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority.

San Rafael is receiving more than $1.8 million from the authority's $24.1 million fiscal year 2026-27 budget for core wildfire projects, including $300,000 for vegetation reduction on San Rafael Hill and $280,000 to fund seven positions focused on vegetation management and inspections.

The fire department has not announced any follow-up investigation into the July 15 incident.