Published on July 06, 2020
Menlo Park Fire Protection District
Fast moving grass fire threatens homes
Encampment starts two acre fire off Beech Street and behind Shorebreeze Court in East Palo Alto Wednesday afternoon – Ten years after an aircraft crashes into the same neighborhood
San Mateo County Public Safety Communications Center (PSC) received multiple calls of a vegetation fire threatening residential structures on Shorebreeze Court and along Beech Street in East Palo Alto at 2:11 pm Wednesday afternoon. Menlo Engine Two with Captain Roy Trester and crew arrived on-scene at 2:16 pm and reported a fast moving, wind driven fire in recently cut grass moving into thicker vegetation and trees bordering Shorebreeze Court. Firefighters quickly flanked both sides of the fire with hose lines to prevent the fire from jumping into the residential neighborhood and used a pump and role mobile light duty Rescue Squad that drove up the center of the two acre fire extinguishing hot spots. Smoke could be seen for miles and was blowing primarily into the City of Palo Alto.
A total of three fire Engines, a Rescue Squad and two Battalion Chiefs responded with 13 personnel and the fire was brought under control within 10 minutes of the firefighters arrival, however firefighters stayed on-scene until 3:31 pm overhauling hot spots and to make sure the fire was completely out. Investigators found several encampments and suspect that drug paraphernalia found at the origin, or seat of the fire may have ignited the recently cut grass. This was the third fire of the day, with the two other much smaller fires attributed to a man potentially setting small fires along the Highway 101 and University Avenue corridor in the morning.
Fire Chief Schapelhouman said “We’ve seen a major increase in the number of encampment fires in the last couple of months as well as Fireworks related fires, especially here in East Palo Alto. We will be up-staffing with more units and personnel for the upcoming holiday. As seen today, even cut down grass can burn aggressively, especially if driven by the bay winds out here along the edge of the City, especially if an ignition source is introduced. Ironically, we are very familiar with this neighborhood, ten years ago a small aircraft crashed here after hitting nearby high tension power lines, knocking out power to the entire City of Palo Alto and Stanford Hospital. The aircraft literally tumbled down the street starting two homes one fire, one doubled as a day-care, then burning four cars and vegetation and killing the three Tesla employees inside the crumpled fuselage. Miraculously, no one on the ground was killed and to bring us back to today’s incident, NO homes were burnt, we lost some fences, but those can be easily replaced. So all in all, aggressive firefighting and helpful neighbors saved the day today”.
The Menlo Park Fire Protection District, provides critical fire and emergency services to its areas in the Town of Atherton, Cities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, unincorporated San Mateo County and the SLAC National Accelerator and Laboratories. 100 firefighters spread over three shifts respond from seven fire stations.
Firefighter/Paramedic Giau Nguyen (right) advances an attack hose line assisting Engineer/Paramedic Scott Nixon (left) who is extinguishing the left flank of a fast moving two acre grass
fire near homes off of Beech Street and behind Shorebreeze Court in East Palo Alto, Wednesday afternoon (Credit Menlo Fire)
Engineer/Paramedic Eric Mijangos (left) and Firefighter Robert Hurst (right) extinguishing the right flank of a fast moving two acre grass fire that threatening homes off of Beech Street and behind
Shorebreeze Court in East Palo Alto, Wednesday afternoon (Credit Menlo Fire)
A wind driven, fast moving, two acre grass fire in cut down weeds can still be a threat to nearby homes off of Beech Street and behind Shorebreeze Court in East Palo Alto, Wednesday afternoon (Credit Menlo Fire)
For more information from the Fire District please go to our web-site at www.menlofire.org: or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Next Door.
Please contact me with any questions, we are working on getting drone footage.