Arson Suspected In Larkspur Blaze

Investigators are searching for the resident of a Larkspur apartment that was set ablaze in the early morning hours Saturday in a suspected case of arson.

Firefighters from Larkspur, Corte Madera, San Rafael and Kentfield, along with the Ross Valley Paramedic Authority, arrived at the Serenity Apartments at 7:10 a.m. at 2700 Lincoln Village Circle to find the ground-floor apartment filled with smoke, according to the Larkspur Fire Department.  

An initial search found no one inside the apartment unit at the time. Fire crews located the main body of fire in the bathroom, which was quickly extinguished. Crews then confirmed that the fire had not spread to units on either side or to the second or third floors of the complex. Smoke had to be removed from several other affected apartment units. 

Subsequently, it was determined that contents, possibly articles from a nearby dresser drawer, were placed in the bathroom and ignited. Several matches found in the vicinity make this appear to be an intentionally caused fire. It also appears that the apartment's smoke detector device had been disabled.

Fire damage was confined to within the apartment's bathroom. Initial fire and smoke damage estimates are less than $50,000. All neighboring apartment complex tenants were allowed back into their homes within 30 minutes of the fire being extinguished.

The occupant of the fire damaged apartment could not be located anywhere in the vicinity. Marin County fire investigators along with local law enforcement are presently involved in an active investigation.