HMB man escapes from fire

HMB Fire District press release

A fire nearly took the life of a Half Moon Bay man Monday afternoon.

The Half Moon Bay man awoke to the sound of the fire popping light fixtures and found his exit partially obscured by flames and heavy smoke in the residence. He was able to exit the building with burns and minor smoke inhalation. A dog, cat and several fish perished in the fire. No smoke detectors were found in the residence, which was red tagged by the City of Half Moon Bay for fire damage and code violations.

Firefighters, getting the call at 2:34pm arrived to find fire involving the upstairs apartment area of a multi-use warehouse on the 500 block of San Mateo Rd (Highway 92) [Google map]. Fire personnel from the Half Moon Bay Station, Captain Kevin McClish, Firefighters Brent Smith and Derek Clary, made an aggressive attack on the fire and with the assistance of Half Moon Bay volunteers and the El Granada and Point Montara engine companies extinguished the fire and initiated an investigation into the cause.
Preliminary investigation revealed the fire started in the area of a couch in the upstairs apartment. The fire grew to involve the entire couch and spread through the living room creating high levels of heat and heavy smoke. The investigation is currently focusing on discarded smoking materials and an electrical appliance in the area.

Firefighters responding to the call included two engines from the Half Moon Bay Fire District, one engine from the Point Montara Fire District, one engine from the California Dept. of Forestry/San Mateo County Fire Dept, one engine from Central County Fire and two volunteers from the Half Moon Bay Fire District.

Preliminary damage is estimated at approximately $30,000.