This is a HUGE problem for firefighters! They are trained to rescue any occupants of a burning building. If the home is unoccupied they are risking their lives for NOTHING.

Ghost Homes should be required to register with the Fire Department so that no attempt is made to rescue nonexistent occupants.

There's a ghost home at the corner of Park and Elena in Atherton. My understanding is it is about 10,000sf. It's never been occupied.

Just imagine doing a room-by-room floor level crawling search, touching all four walls and opening all doors in each room, of a 10,000 sq ft house when it is dark and filled with smoke when you should have been told ahead of time that the house was unoccupied.

Well said, Peter!!!

There are a couple on every block in Atherton. There is one on my block that has been vacant for over 10 years. The one on Shearer that just caught fire, has been vacant for 0ver 30 years or so. the only thing alive there is the weeds.

Personally, I'd welcome the privacy and quietness afforded by having no one living in a well maintained neighboring house. I understand that it seems unfair the firemen still have to enter an apparently unoccupied house, however, there is always a risk that someone is living there, whether it is the owner or a squatter.
Consider, also, that the home owner is paying taxes, for example for schools, but is not using the schools. Surely that is a savings for the district.

I hope arson investigators are checking out the the fire in the house that had been empty for 30 years.