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Residents of an Atherton neighborhood awoke to the sound of an explosion Monday morning, Nov. 2. Firefighters quickly extinguished a one-alarm fire on Lloyden Drive that caused several fuel tanks to explode, Menlo Park fire officials said.
The fire occurred at a tent-canopy structure behind a home, said Menlo Park Fire Protection District investigator Bob Blach. During the blaze, a five-gallon propane tank and four small butane tanks — the kind that are commonly used in camping stoves — exploded, he said.
A couple of nearby residents told Mr. Blach that the blast shook their houses.
Atherton police witnessed the smoke and reported the fire around 6:30 a.m., Mr. Blach said. There were no injuries, and a woman and her dog were evacuated from the house. “The occupant was unaware that there was a fire in the back,” he said.
Firefighters were still at the scene at 8:15 a.m. but the fire was knocked down in about 10 minutes, said Mr. Blach. The blaze also knocked out telephone and cable TV lines, he said. Witnesses said the fire was “very smoky” and visible from the baylands.
The cause is still under investigation, but so far it appears to be accidental, said Mr. Blach. A detached garage suffered minor damage, and a rough estimate of total damages from the fire tops out at about $45,000, said Mr. Blach. Five fire engines and one fire truck responded to the fire, with a total of 19 firefighters and three battalion chiefs.