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House fire damages bedroom

by Dave Boyce

A woman suffered a minor burn and a deputy from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office was examined for smoke inhalation in connection with a two-alarm structure fire on the afternoon of Thursday, Dec. 1, in a one-story house at 214 Eleanor Drive in Woodside.

Medics took both victims to a hospital as a precautionary measure, Chief Dan Ghiorso of the Woodside Fire Protection District said in a telephone interview. The burn, on the woman's hand, was "not very serious at all," he said.

Battalion chiefs called for a second alarm in view of the medical evacuations, but the extra equipment turned out to be unnecessary to extinguish the fire, Chief Ghiorso said. The fire was all but out in about 12 minutes, he said.

The cause of the fire, which firefighters contained to a single bedroom, is under investigation and estimates of damage to structure and contents are not yet available, the chief said.

The agencies participating included one unit from Woodside — the district was also engaged in an incident on Skyline Boulevard, the chief said — and Redwood City, Menlo Park, San Carlos and the Sky Londa station of the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

At one point, three firefighters were up on the flat roof and removed one skylight for access and ventilation.

The fire did not damage vegetation and presented no danger of spreading beyond the house, Chief Ghiorso said. "Luckily, there was no wind," he added.

During the firefighting, the gas and electrical utilities were shut off, firefighters said.