Menlo Park: Five alrm fire destroys large three homes

A five-alarm structure fire broke out in the foothills of Menlo Park Thursday evening, causing more than $1-million of damage to three large homes bound by a single roof and shared walls, Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze reported at 15 Susan Gale Court at about 5:15 p.m. and found flames in the attic space of the middle residence.

Schapelhouman said the three single-family, multi-story units are each between 2,500- and 2,700-square feet and that two of the units are almost a complete loss. The third unit sustained major damage before the blaze was contained at about 7:45 p.m.

"We probably haven't had a fire of this magnitude in a structure area in about a decade," Schapelhouman said.

The fire was difficult to combat because the three units share a roof and have common walls, and the fire started in the middle unit, said Schapelhouman.

Additionally, he referred to the neighborhood where the fire burned as a "high-fire-danger area" because there was a risk of flames spreading through the foothills.

An ember was sent downhill and caused some damage to the roof of a home before the home's owner and firefighters extinguished the flames.

Although the fire has been contained, Schapelhouman said firefighters will remain in the area through today to make sure flames don't resurface.

"When you don't have someone here, and you get a wind, you're going to

have other problems," Schapelhouman said.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury to the ear in combating the flames. No residents were injured.

Schapelhouman said the fire caused between $1 million and $1.5 million in damage to the structure.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Source: Mercury News - Link