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Crime & Safety

Smoldering Briquettes Cause Garage Fire in Boulder Creek

Metal containers with a lid are the safest method for charcoal and ash disposal.

A barbecue from two days ago caused a frantic scene early Saturday morning, when neighbors and residents awoke to flames in their garage on 15000 block of Highway 236 in Boulder Creek. 

"We got there and the exterior of the garage was smoldering, and the neighbor and the resident had garden hoses on it," said Kevin McClish, chief of Boulder Creek Fire Department.

The call came in around 6:50 a.m. on Saturday morning.

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McClish says that the garden hoses "absolutely" helped in putting out the fire, and containined it to the garage. It did scorch a few redwood trees nearby, but without the hoses it could have definitely spread to the rest of the house.

The cause of the fire were the smoldering briquettes that the residents had put into their plastic greenwaste bin after a barbecue two days prior.

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"They sat there and smoldered a couple days and then ignited the can," said McClish.

Even if you think your briquettes are finished burning, Boulder Creek Fire Department recommends disposing of charcoal and ashes into a metal can with a lid.

"Even after a couple of days they can start a fire," said McClish.

During the overhaul of the house, the Fire Department found a marijuana grow room, which the resident said was legal.

McClish estimates the fire damage to be a couple thousand dollars, and was contained to a four foot by eight foot section of the garage.

One engine from Boulder Creek, one engine from Ben Lomond, and an engine fron Cal Fire (which was not needed after all and turned around) responded to the call.

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