UPDATE: Fire Behind Carlmont High Was Burning Couch

An abandoned couch on a trail off Vallerga Drive behind Carlmont High School caught fire this afternoon but was extinguished before the blaze spread to any vegetation or structures.

A Belmont resident reported the one-alarm fire at about 2:10 p.m.

The call initially came in as a grass fire, but when police and fire officials arrived they realized a couch was burning and quickly put out the flames.

Officer Scott Fegley, who serves as the school resource officer at , was the first to respond to the scene. Once he clarified where the fire was located, he determined that Vallerga Drive would provide the best access.

Another Belmont officer, Evan Branch, also arrived on the scene and the two officers were able to extinguish the flames using the fire extinguishers that are standard equipment in their patrol car.

“I heard the call on the police radio, so I knew to grab the fire extinguisher,” said Fegley. “I was coming up to pinpoint the location for the fire department, but was able to put out 99 percent of the fire.”

Within minutes, two engines from the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department arrived and sprayed water on the area and checked to be sure the fire was completely out.

A half hour later, all that remained of the couch were the charred springs and frame. The lower branches of some of the trees alongside the couch were also charred, but there was no significant damage to trees or vegetation.

“This had real potential to be something much worse," Belmont police Lt. Pat Halleran said. "Fortunately we’ve has some rain, so those trees didn’t burn, but it could have been much worse.” He added that although the hiking trail is located on private property, it has been used by kids for years.

Although there was no immediate cause of the fire determined, Lt. Halleran surmised it was probably an accident, and again emphasized that a fire of this nature had potential to do much more damage. “We’ll be looking into it because there was potential for a much bigger fire.”

The area surrounding the burned couch was littered with trash, shoes, and a second couch, which although not burned, was torn and flipped on its side.