SAN RAFAEL

Residence damaged in Gerstle Park blaze

Two people escaped a fire that broke out at a two-story residence in San Rafael.

The fire happened at about 5:30 p.m. Friday at 323 Bayview St. in the Gerstle Park neighborhood. One occupant saw flames in a bedroom, discharged an extinguisher and alerted the other occupant before fleeing to safety, said Deputy Chief Robert Sinnott of the San Rafael Fire Department.

Crews extinguished the fire and it did not spread to other buildings. One occupant was taken to a hospital for precautionary evaluation, Sinnott said.

Investigators suspect an electrical malfunction in a bedroom caused the fire. The estimated cost of the damage was unavailable.

NOVATO

Suspected thieves arrested after crash

Two retail theft suspects were arrested after a pursuit ended in a crash in Novato, police said.

The incident began around 3:10 p.m. Friday at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store near Highway 101 in Cotati. A caller informed the police that a suspect returned to the store after committing grand theft earlier that day.

After officers arrived, a vehicle rammed into a Cotati patrol car and sped off, police said. Police chased the suspects down Highway 101 to the De Long Avenue exit in Novato, where the vehicle crashed. No injuries were reported.

Bryan Beardsley, 34, of Fairfield was arrested on suspicion of grand theft, assaulting a peace officer with a deadly weapon, evading police and felony hit-and-run. He also had three warrants for his arrest.

Danie Sieng, 38, of Oakland was booked on a felony warrant, police said.

THE COUNTY

Director installed at cultural department

Steve Dow, the deputy director of the Marin County Cultural Services Department, has been promoted to director.

Dow has been running the office since the fall, when Gabriella Calicchio left the department for a different job.

The department oversees the Marin County Fair and the Marin Center arts venue, among other responsibilities. It has 12 full-time employees and an annual budget of $7.2 million budget. Dow’s starting annual salary as director is $213,636, the county said.

Dow, a native of Lassen County, is a former employment lawyer in San Francisco and a former theater manager in New York City, the county said. He lives in Berkeley.

SAN RAFAEL

Firefighters rescue motorist from tree

A San Rafael woman was injured after her vehicle crashed through a carport wall and landed in a tree, police said.

The incident happened at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday at a residence on Southern Heights Boulevard, a ridgetop street southeast of downtown. The homeowner tried to park but went through the wall, onto the roof of the home and then into the tree, police Lt. Scott Eberle said.

San Rafael firefighters extracted the woman from the vehicle. Her injuries were minor, Eberle said, but the car was destroyed.