Letter:  Fire department quenches surprisingly dangerous wood chips

Three cheers for the Half Moon Bay Fire Department!

Our neighbor  had trees cut down on Thursday and all the mulch mounded up against the wooden fence between our properties.  Then she left town.  By Sunday evening the pile was smoking.  So I called the non-emergency number for the fire department to ask if I needed to do anything.

The answer: Yes!  Composting wood chips can start serious fires.

The Fire Department arrived with rakes and hoes and spread that monumental heap of flammable compost into a safe layer.  They watered down the mulch and with a wave and a smile, they were gone.  But not before we managed to capture the action though we forgot to get their names.

Thanks again! And people—be smart, composting debris gets HOT. Don’t mound it up near flammables.

Molly Haselhorst
Montara