San Rafael residence damaged in battery fire

An overheated lithium battery sparked a fire that burned in the basement of a San Rafael home.

The fire happened at about 7:45 p.m. Thursday at 45 Marquard Ave. Firefighters traced the fire to a battery charger that was plugged into a wall outlet, said Deputy Chief Robert Sinnott of the San Rafael Fire Department.

Sinnott said the flames damaged a water line and caused a leak, which helped suppress the fire.

“It is likely the home would have sustained substantial damage had...