Firefighters Investigate Blaze Near Downtown

Mill Valley Fire Department officials are investigating the cause of a Friday afternoon house fire that burned through a living room wall and caused extensive smoke damage throughout the home.

The blaze, which started at around 4:30 p.m. at 16 Hill St., did not cause any injuries as the residents were not home at the time, Battalion Chief Scott Barnes said. One cat sustained minor injuries, neighbors reported. 

Fire trucks from Mill Valley, Southern Marin, and Sausalito fire departments responded to the scene, as did a crew from Pacific Gas & Electric.

Fire officials were slightly "puzzled" by the cause of the fire, Barnes said, as PG&E had reportedly shut down power at the home earlier in the day. The house is undergoing a remodel, neighbors reported.  

The sustained moderate fire damage but extensive smoke damage, Barnes said, largely because a large amount of electronic devices and plastic materials burned in the fire, giving off a "thick, black smoke that spread throughout the house."