Novato residence gutted in 2-alarm fire

A two-alarm fire severely damaged a residence Tuesday in Novato, emitting a cloud of black smoke visible for at least a mile.

The fire was reported at about 12:25 p.m. at 2024 Center Road, a one-story home just west of Wilson Avenue. Novato firefighters and police filled the street as neighbors gathered nearby.

“It was shooting up a column, it had to be 80 feet,” resident Ralph McLeran said of the flames. “The flames were coming out of the back.”

First responders found no immediate sign of anyone in the residence...