Two-alarm Peninsula fire sends mother, daughter to hospital with serious burns

A mother and daughter each were hospitalized with burn injuries Thursday morning when a twoalarm fire that also displaced 11 people broke out at a residence in East Palo Alto, a fire official said.

The two both were taken by ambulance and were being treated in the burn unit at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman

said. The injuries to the daughter were more serious, he said, but the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Schapelhouman said two other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and did not go to a hospital.

The blaze broke out 6:35 a.m. in the single-story residence, but investigators have not determined the cause.

“Something went pretty wrong this morning to have this happen and have it go down that way,” Schapelhouman

said. “But to not have had a chance to interview the mother or daughter yet, it would be pure speculation at this point.”

The residence was destroyed, and it was expected that the Red Cross would aid those who were displaced.

The daughter’s burns were to different spots on her body, and the burn injuries on the mother were limited to her arms and hands, Schapelhouman said. It appeared she may have been trying to tend to her daughter when she was injured, he said. The daughter appears to be in her late teens.

Fire crews called the second alarm because they were unsure if there were other victims inside the residence and didn’t want the fire to spread.

Firefighters controlled the fire by 7 a.m., but Schapelhouman said at least 60% of the residence burned.