seahaven_fire
FIRE: A cabin burned down in the Seahaven neighborhood in Inverness, on Tuesday. The homeowner called the day—also marked by the election of Donald Trump—shocking.   David Briggs

A fire that proved briefly difficult to locate destroyed an unoccupied Inverness cabin on Tuesday. Two calls came in from across the bay with reports of smoke at around 11 a.m., said Jim Fox, the Inverness fire chief. But he couldn’t locate the fire’s source until a third call came from a neighbor’s house. Susan Scott, the neighbor, said she had been absorbed in election coverage when a visitor staying at another neighboring home walked over and said he saw flames. “The house was engulfed in flames,” said Ms. Scott, who heard “exploding sounds” from the conflagration. Mr. Fox said that soon after the fire department arrived, flames shot up 50 or 60 feet into a tree. But by 11:30 a.m. or so, firefighters had ensured that the fire would not spread to nearby homes. No cause has yet been determined, though arson is believed highly unlikely. The property—which has three structures, only one of which burned—is owned by Berkeley Hills resident Tamara Greenberg. She and her husband, the late screenwriter Stanley Greenberg, purchased the property in the early 1980s, using it as getaway spot and for Stanley’s writing and Tamara’s work as a dance therapist. “Inverness has always been a haven,” she said. She plans to rebuild, but the day will always be marked by two events she called shocking. “I got a call that my house burned down, and that same day Trump wins,” she said. “The two will be connected forever.”