Two-Alarm Fire Caused $320,000 In Damage, Loss

Fire investigators determined that a two-alarm blaze that was not intentionally set at an apartment complex in East Palo Alto last month caused $300,000 in structural damage.

Due to smoke, heat, and fire damage, the April 28 blaze razed one third-floor unit and portions of the hallway at 1 Newell Court, Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said Monday.

At least $20,000 in personal property was also lost in the fire, which investigators said was accidental and was caused either by a malfunctioning wall heater or combustible items stored near the heater. Water damage caused during the firefight also impacted five lower-floor units, Schapelhouman said.

Up to 120 residents in the three-story complex were displaced by the fire that broke out about 6:05 p.m. on April 28.

An 18-year-old woman had been working on her computer in the apartment she shared with her mother when the apartment's smoke detector alerted her to the fire, according to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.

The daughter found the fire burning against the bedroom wall and quickly woke up her mother, who was sleeping in the room, and both were able to safely escape.

Because the unit where the fire started was located on the complex's top story and was adjacent to West Bayshore Road, firefighters had relatively good access and were able to aggressively stamp out the flames, Schapelhouman said.

The complex was not equipped with a sprinkler system.

--Bay City News