Redwood City Firefighters Burned, Hospitalized While Battling Local House Fire

REDWOOD CITY, CA – Two Redwood City firefighters who suffered from facial burns and smoke inhalation were briefly hospitalized after battling a three-alarm house fire in town, officials say.

The two firefighters, who were not identified, were released from the hospital Sunday evening after they suffered minor injuries earlier in the day while responding to a fire at 2:22 p.m. at 651 Vista Drive in the
hilly Emerald Lake area in unincorporated San Mateo County.

The two firefighters were injured during a possible explosion at the scene. One firefighter suffered minor burns to their face and another suffered smoke inhalation, Cal Fire Assistant Chief Mark Steward said.

The injured firefighters were released from the hospital around 7 p.m., according to Steward.

Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control at about 5 p.m. The residents were not home when the fire broke out and no one else was injured, Steward said.

The three-story, single-family home sustained significant damage. The home was being remodeled when the fire broke out.

Firefighters haven't been able to get inside the house because the building is structurally unsafe, according to Steward.

Firefighters are planning to go inside Monday and an investigation into what caused the explosion and the fire is ongoing, Steward said.

Crews from Redwood City, Woodside and Menlo Park all assisted in the firefighting efforts.

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Shutterstock