Firefighters extinguished a one-alarm fire at a Menlo Park home Saturday evening after a construction project allegedly caused a fire to break out inside the home’s walls, Menlo Park Fire Protection District officials said.
Firefighters arrived at 5:19 p.m. to a blaze at a home at 345 Ambar Way.
They found light smoke coming from the single story home’s attic vent and determined that the fire was inside a wall in the attic. After about 25 minutes, firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control.
Residents were home at the time and were working with a handyman on a plumbing project. When they noticed smoke, the handyman immediately grabbed a garden hose and tried to put the fire out, according to fire officials.
The handyman said he had just soldered a copper pipe in the home’s rear walls, where the fire occurred, in order to install a new exterior faucet.
Fire investigators determined the fire was accidental. They estimated that it caused about $66,000 in damage. No injuries were reported.
Battalion Chief Tom Calvert said that the quick action of the handyman who grabbed a garden hose once he saw smoke and the firefighters aggressive firefighting actions in the attic stopped the spread of the fire which helped to save the home.
— Bay City News
