In an incident straight out of some suburban-fanfic version of The Fast and the Furious, two muscle cars exploded in a fiery blaze this past Saturday, resulting in a two-alarm fire that required 35 firefighters to extinguish. A Novato garage and both cars were consumed in the subsequent inferno.

According to a statement issued by the Novato Fire District, it all began when a man working on a 1972 Chevy Nova in his detached garage smelled a chemical odor. After turning off the car, he then attempted to restart the engine.

"When he started it again, the engine compartment exploded and caught fire," reads the statement in part. "He was able to escape out of the vehicle and run down the long steep driveway while directing concerned neighbors to call 911."

Fortunately for the vehicle owner, the concerned neighbor in question was off-duty Novato firefighter Tommy Gaulke.

The blast was apparently quite substantial, as Gaulke reportedly "felt his house shake" before running outside to help expedite the response by providing dispatchers with detailed information about the incident.

This was definitely a close call for both the homeowner and the surrounding community, but the fire crews were able to control the spreading blaze in just 25 minutes after it had burned only half of an acre of the surrounding hillside. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire and no other homes were damaged.

The two cars, a 1972 Chevy Nova and a 1966 Nova Station Wagon, were apparently valued at a combined $60,000.

Related: Video: 'Magnum, P.I.' Style Ferrari Blows Up At Bay Area Gas Station, Drives Itself To Safety

Car fire in Bay Bridge tunnel. pic.twitter.com/6SsmugDkjm

— Lyanne Melendez (@LyanneMelendez) January 10, 2014

We're getting word of a car fire inside the Bay Bridge tunnel this afternoon, as reported by ABC 7's Lyanne Melendez.

But it looks like it's been put out already. Whew. Behold:

Poor guy. He owns the Lexus that this 40ft tree fell on. Hear from him @8:30a @ktvu 1 WB lane on Lombard/Laguna open twitter.com/janinektvu/sta…

— Janine De la Vega (@janinektvu) June 3, 2013

A mighty tree fell on Lombard at Laguna today causing all sorts of horrific traffic issues. The tree plummeted toward the earth at around 4 a.m. on the 1800 block of Lombard.

All westbound traffic is blocked. Please find an alternate route if you're heading west or toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

Also of note, the tree landed on a a tan innocent Lexus parked on the street. Janine De la Vega of KTVU snapped the above shot of the car and his owner, Matt Farrell, who isn't too bothered.

"I just walked out and realized what had happened," said Farrell, who talked to KTVU. "I parked in the neighborhood, but have never parked in this spot before. The car is old so I'm not too worried...I'm just kinda of shocked."

[KTVU]
[SFGate]

Yikes. Egads. Oh dear. Crash. This pretty tree fell on top of a pretty Mercedes-Benz in pretty Pacific Heights during last night's storm. Pretty crazy, huh? According to CBS 5's Cate Cauguiran, who snapped the pic, the tree fell on Pine between Buchanan and Laguna.

Below, firefighters work to remove the fallen tree.

"This Guy" by Lulu Vision.

Flickr user Im_wasted snapped this shot (click to enlarge!) of a nice BMW SUV that crashed into this Laurel Heights building today. No word yet of any injuries... save for the side of the residence. Yikes.

PREVIOUSLY: Photo: Porsche Drives Into Construction Site

This poor Volvo wants you to rob the rich: "This car has already been broken in to. Go ROB THE RICH and stay out of this one. Thanks." Duly noted!

Photo credit: ebjSF/Flickr

Police found the vehicle in connection with missing 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas today. "It is not known whether the missing boy, Juliani Cardenas, or the man suspected of abducting him, Jose Esteban Rodriguez, 27, are inside, but the outlook is grim." The search for Cardenas started 10 days ago after his alcoholic, quasi-stepfather snatched him from his grandmother's home. [Chronicle]

A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a Sacramento woman whose body was found burning in a car on Webster and Rose Streets (between Page and Haight) in the Haight on Sunday. "Almon Johnson was arrested in connection with the death of Vanessa Herrera, reports SF Chronicle. "Investigators suspect that Johnson killed Herrera in Sacramento and drove her body to Webster and Rose streets, then set fire to the 2000 Pontiac at 3:15 a.m. Monday." Police refused to comment on how she was killed. [Chron]

The other day, while walking up Monterey Boulevard, we noticed makeshift "Slow Down" signs posted along the street. They're there for a good reason. Today, according to Picasa user Karen, a vehicle going way too fast crashed and flipped over along the heavily-trafficked strip.

She writes. "This guy was going too fast and lost control of his vehicle. Luckily, there was a tree to stop him and all the neighborhood kids were still in school. The driver walked away seemingly unharmed." This happened near Friends bar, too.

Lots of kids in this area, drivers. Please remember to slow down. Seriously.

Check out more images from today's crash.

At about 4:50 p.m. yesterday in Redwood City, a southbound train collided with a Honda near Whipple Avenue and El Camino Real. KTVU reports, "the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the San Mateo County coroner's office." The train was traveling "approximately 60 mph," so it couldn't stop. The name of the driver has yet to be revealed. No word as to whether or not it was a suicide hit.

You want another car fire? Well, we've got another car fire for you. An auto was set ablaze early this morning outside the Oakland Hills home of UC President Mark Yudof. The fire was started sometime before 2 a.m., and the bomb squad was also called in since it was right across the street from where the UC President lives. No arrests have been made. Yudof's home, as many of you know, has played host to a myriad of protests in the past, most recently due to UC budget cuts.

Cat nap on my driveway from Kris M on Vimeo.

We came across this curious clip over at Mission Mission. Clearly, this man has to sleep it off. How rude, making the poor soul leave. Perhaps we really are one of the meanest cities around.