BRIEF: Elderly San Rafael man led to safety from burning home 

BRIEF: Elderly San Rafael man led to safety from burning home

Dec 22, 2012 (Menafn - The Marin Independent Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --An elderly man was led to safety by a neighbor who spotted a fire in the attic of his home on Saturday in the Bret Harte area of San Rafael.

The neighbor saw flames coming from the residence at 17 Bret Ave. at about 1 a.m., called the fire department and got the occupant, who is in his early 90s and lived alone, out of the burning house, said San Rafael Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Lydon.

"He was unaware that there was a problem," Lydon said of the unidentified resident, who did not have a functioning smoke detector in the house.

It took about 30 minutes for 18 fire fighters with four engines and a ladder truck to douse the blaze, which was confined to the attic and roof above the kitchen. Damage, estimated at 125,000 to the dwelling and 50,000 to its contents, rendered the house uninhabitable, Lydon said. The elderly resident was taken in by neighbors.

Contact Paul Liberatore via email at liberatore@marinij.com

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