The number of suspected arson fires that have burned grass and brush across Novato in recent days grew to more than 50 on Monday as authorities investigated what they believe to be related incidents in two areas of the city.
"A lot of those are very small fires -- 2-foot by 2-foot 'garbage can lid' fires -- but they are (located) within two specific areas," said Novato police Capt. Jim Berg.
No suspects had been identified Monday and no people or structures had been harmed by the blazes, the largest of which consumed about a quarter acre of vegetation, Berg said. Although the two areas -- the Bahia area and South Novato -- are more than three miles apart, authorities believe the fires are related, he said.
"The areas are separated by a distance, but they are very similar in size and scope and the lack of obvious ignition sources," he said. "The patterns seem to be very similar."
Novato police and fire officials were investigating with help from a multiagency fire investigation unit led by Marin County, Berg said. Investigators do not know how many people may be responsible, he said.
"As far as a cause, we don't have any obvious signs of what's being used to ignite these fires, but we have collected a few items at various scenes that will require some testing to see if they were used as ignition sources," he said.
The first flames were reported shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday in South Novato. The fires burned as far south as Entrada Drive in the Ignacio area but most were concentrated farther north in the neighborhoods near the South Novato Boulevard exit off Highway 101, authorities said.
The blazes were quickly doused, and in the daylight Sunday firefighters mopped up other hot spots where it appeared attempts to start fires had been made.
Late Sunday night and early Monday morning, as numerous small fires were ignited in South Novato, fires also broke out in the open space next to the Bahia neighborhood of northeast Novato. The Bahia fires burned a quarter-mile or more away from the nearest road, but they were close enough to waft smoke through the neighborhood, awakening residents.
"I thought my house was on fire," Bahia resident Adrianna Roome said Monday morning as she jogged past firefighters on a trail in the Rush Creek Open Space Preserve. "The smell of smoke was really strong."
"I just hope they catch whoever did it," Roome added.
On Seascape Drive in South Novato, resident Ernie Russo slept soundly as a small patch of ground burned about 20 yards from his front door early Sunday morning. When he awoke in the daylight and saw the patch of scorched ground he was thankful the flames had not spread to any structures in his townhouse complex.
"That's very dangerous stuff to be fooling around with," he said.
Novato Deputy Fire Chief Eric Nickel said fire officials "are throwing everything we got" at responding to fires and investigating the case. "The crews here have been up all night for two nights," he said Monday morning.
Nickel noted the fires could have been deadly or caused serious damage.
Despite lack of rain that has left grassland dry this winter, most of the fires were put out before burning more than a few hundred square feet. One fire was set in a trash Dumpster and others scorched a utility pole and yard fencing, which represented the only property damaged by the blazes.
