Mill Valley's fuel break helped stop the July 27 Hillcrest Fire, also referred to locally as the Hillside Fire, Division Chief Fred Hilliard told the City Council on Thursday, Aug. 27
Hilliard, of the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, said the 1.5-acre blaze that broke out July 27 between Hillside Avenue and Blithedale Ridge ran directly into treated vegetation and halted.
"If you have had an opportunity to go up and walk the fire, you can see that where the fire started into where it stopped was right in the treated area," Hilliard said at the council briefing.
The Greater Mill Valley Fuel Break now covers 173 acres of treated land, with 78 acres completed in 2025, according to Southern Marin Fire district records. The project targets an 11-to-13-mile corridor around the city and is more than 35% complete, with roughly $1.16 million invested from Measure C and the city's Municipal Services Tax.
Marin County Fire Division Chief Chris Fox cautioned that a lighter statewide fire year did not mean safety. "A normal fire potential does not mean low risk," Fox told the council. He added that dry fuels, red-flag periods and offshore wind events remain part of any fire season.
The warning proved timely.
Hours before the evening briefing, the Tennessee Fire broke out near Wolf Ridge Trail, burning about 3 acres before crews stopped its forward progress by 1:40 p.m. Mill Valley police alerted residents that drift smoke posed no threat to the city.
Funding questions
Councilmember Urban Carmel asked fire officials whether Measure C and the Municipal Services Tax provide enough money to sustain the fuel break work. Hilliard called continued funding "absolutely critical" to maintain the projects' effectiveness.
Measure C, the countywide parcel tax voters approved in March 2020 with 70.8% support, generates more than $22 million annually for the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. It sunsets in August 2029.
The Municipal Services Tax covers roughly 20% to 30% of Mill Valley's vegetation clearing and trail maintenance. That tax expires after fiscal year 2026/2027. The City Council voted unanimously June 15 to approve a resolution establishing the framework for a 10-year renewal, known as Measure T, expected on the November 2026 ballot.
In a July 31 open letter following the Hillside Fire, Interim Fire Chief Tom Welch credited Measure C, the MST and a California Coastal Conservancy grant for making the fuel break work possible.
What residents should do
Fire officials reminded homeowners to maintain Zone 0, the first five feet around structures, and to clear surrounding vegetation. They urged residents to prepare go-bags, sign up for Alert Marin and call 911 immediately when they spot smoke.
The district has completed 455 defensible-space inspections in Mill Valley so far in 2026, with 1,475 planned for the year. More than 80% of fires in the area are human-caused, according to Southern Marin Fire district data. The cause of the Hillside Fire remains under investigation.
