At around 3 a.m. on Mother’s Day morning in Bolinas, Jeff Miottel walked outside after his wife smelled smoke. He spied a fire in Jack’s Cove, north of Agate Beach. He warned his neighbors, took a few pictures when it didn’t appear to be an immediate threat, and returned home. The fire, which started in a eucalyptus grove, burned about three and a half acres of National Park Service land, coming within 100 feet of the shoreline; about 60 firefighters fully contained it by 10 a.m. The Marin County Fire Department said it appeared to have been caused by people, though whether it was accidental or purposeful remains unclear. In drier or windier conditions, the department said, the fire could have spread further, endangering structures. The event was reminiscent of a fire 11 years ago—also on Mother’s Day, when another eucalyptus grove caught fire in Tam Valley, burning 12 acres. “The underlying message,” said Marin County Fire Department spokesman Mike Giannini, “is that this is a great example of how, even when we’re not experiencing high temperatures or dry air, there’s still a very high risk for fire activity. It’s only going to get worse as we progress into summer.”