Firefighters Mopping Up in Marin County Blaze

The small town of Inverness was safe Saturday from a wildfire that has burned more than 12,000 piney, rocky acres of Point Reyes National Seashore.

“Firefighters are concentrating on mop-up,” said Wendy Belvedere, a National Park Service spokeswoman. “They’re searching out hot spots, ensuring the fire’s completely out.”

The fire was sparked Tuesday by an illegal campfire and raced through about 15% of the oceanside park in Marin County, north of San Francisco. It destroyed more than 40 houses before firefighters blocked its path to Inverness, a town of 1,000 residents.

“We went back in and spent the night,” said homeowner Michelle Gillespie, who was allowed to return Friday. “It’s a big relief, but it’s still kind of scary.”

When her family heard noises in the night, she said, “we didn’t know if it was natural noises or the fire coming back down the hill.”

Crews surrounded 80% of the fire Saturday afternoon and expected to have it fully contained by early Sunday and controlled by Monday, Belvedere said.

Firefighters managed to save a stand of old-growth Douglas firs along the scenic coast, although flames blackened many of the Bishop pine groves dotting hilltops.

The wildfire was the largest and longest-lived of several that broke out during the past week in Northern California after a spell of dry, warm weather.