House fire on Hermosa Way in Menlo Park on Monday evening

Emails Cotton St. resident Jim Schott:

“A house at 1275 Hermosa Way caught fire before 9:00 pm last night (Monday, January 3). There were a large number of emergency vehicles, firetrucks, police cars, and more. And at one point, it appeared there was a drone flying overhead.”

“A neighbor from Rosefield Way mentioned that the fire might be related to the electrical system and charging a Tesla sedan in the garage.

“My family noticed an unusual odor sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 pm. It is not certain this was related, but the odor is similar to the odor at the property as we walked by this morning.”

Editor’s note: The following is information provided by Acting Chief Dan Coyle:

“The cause has preliminarily been determined to be electrical in nature.

“A total of 5 fire engines, 1 ladder truck, and 2 Battalion Chiefs initially responded to the reported structure fire call, which is standard deployment for San Mateo County. Menlo Park Police also responded as is typical for emergencies where law enforcement functions may arise such as traffic and crowd control. We also had 1 ambulance from American Medical Response, which again is standard for structure fires to have on hand until a search is complete and the fire has been deemed ‘under control.’ We also had the Menlo Park Fire Tech Ops van which carries our UAS (drone) equipment to fly thermal imaging equipment to locate and help suppress any hot spots in the attic and roof structure.

“One of the Battalion Chiefs was provided through automatic aid from the Woodside Fire Protection District.

“Additionally two Menlo Park Fire investigators responded to conduct the cause and origin investigation.”

Photos by Jim Schott (c) 2022