I went downstairs to the garage to check my laundry and thought I smelled smoke. A LOT of smoke. I ran outside to the garden where the smoke smell was strongest. I saw thick, thick smoke pouring over my garden. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, only that it was probably not right next door but it was still very close. I ran inside but by the time I got to the phone, I could hear the sirens. Someone else had already called 911. I grabbed my camera instead of my phone & went off to find the fire. It was 2 blocks up, very near where there had been another fire last 4th of July. I think the timing isn't a coincidence. There are three times of year where my neighborhood gets exciting: 4th of July, New Year's Eve & Chinese New Year. Those holidays are when my neighbors shoot off a LOT of fireworks. I'd been hearing them earlier this week. My guess is that fireworks started the fire in the dry brush on the hillside. I walked up & talked with a woman who was standing near by. She had been the person to call 911. She said that when she could see it, the fire was in the grass on the end of the hill. It's at the base of a steep hill, just below a children's garden that's being preserved as open space. As I got there, the fire trucks were set up with hoses going all over the place. There was one house that could have been in danger, although not immediate. The resident was outside with a garden hose, trying to figure where he should direct the water. The firefighters beat him to it. They tore out his fence & brought in one of their big hoses. Firefighter hoses trump garden hoses any day. For a few moments, I was concerned this could get out of control. There was a bit of wind. It was a hot day. This hillside has a lot of dry brush, perfect kindling for a fire. And...eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus trees acted as torches in the Oakland Hills fire several years ago. They have a LOT of oil so they burn and burn hot. Fortunately, this fire didn't get to the trees. Now this is the SECOND fire here in less than a week. The first fire, I was the one who got to call 911. I was home. It was raining. I looked out my kitchen window & thought I saw smoke. That seemed silly to me so I looked again. I was sure this had to be some weird condensation something from the rain or maybe some fog that got lost. I looked again...and saw flames. They were coming from a utility pole, just above a transformer. I called 911. They came & squirted water at the fire & then called PG&E to come repair the pole. The fire didn't get to the transformer so nothing exploded. I guess something with the rain caused a short & the utility pole caught on fire. Kinda funny that the wet conditions, especially wet wood, didn't stop the fire from starting. I didn't have that kind of luck when I was camping/kayaking earlier this month.

This is the smoke that was pouring over my backyard			There really is a fire there...can't tell with all the smoke	Here's the firerighters working on breaking down the fence so they can get water to behind the house
			See the stuffed dalmation perched in the window?
	This is the next day, just a bunch of charred ground