A two-story home on Mitchell Drive in Boulder Creek burned to the ground Friday, June 11, after rags that had been used to stain a deck spontaneously combusted in the sun.
Boulder Creek Fire Chief Kevin McClish said the rags were spread out and were exposed to enough direct sunlight to catch fire.
“After we got our specs sheet, we found the rags were supposed to be put in a bucket of water and soaked,” McClish said.
The property is owned by Marion and Rich Palm, owners of Zinnia’s Home and Garden in Scotts Valley. The fire was reported by a neighbor across the canyon at about 4:15 p.m., roughly half an hour after it started.
The home is in a somewhat remote area on the 400 block of Mitchell Drive, with no direct neighbors.
Fire crews surrounded the house and kept the fire from spreading into the nearby underbrush. Crews from Boulder Creek, Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond and Cal Fire responded, and planes dropped foam to help quench the blaze.
