On October 13, 2003 at 12:30 a.m., a third-alarm fire damaged two homes located in Portola Valley. The fire originated in one of the homes garages, where a stack of wood planks spontaneously combusted after they were recently treated with linseed oil-based wood stain. The fire quickly spread to the adjacent house which was ten feet away. All residents escaped unharmed.

It took 42 firefighters about one hour to contain the blaze, and several more hours to put it out. Narrow winding roads and steep hills made access to the fire difficult.

Pictures courtesy of Mark Muntean, Professional Digital Photographer