Unattended Work Lamp Sparks Basement Fire in Belmont

An unattended work lamp left on in the basement of a Belmont home lead to a house fire Thursday afternoon.

Belmont fire officials responded at about 3:25 p.m. to reports of a structure fire in the 1800 block of Mezes Avenue, Belmont Police Capt. Pat Halleran said.

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke coming from the basement upon arriving. With the help of firefighters from the San Mateo-Foster City Fire Department, the fire was extinguished within about 30 minutes.

The fire was confined to a small portion of the basement and there were no injuries, Halleran said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, however preliminary information indicates that the fire was accidental and appears to have been started by an unattended halogen work lamp that was left on and was too close to some clothing and other household objects in the basement.