Cause of E. Palo Alto house fire leaves officials baffled

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jan 30, 2008 | by Banks Albach

EAST PALO ALTO -- Fire investigators have been unable to trace the cause of a fire that ripped through an East Palo Alto home early Sunday morning, leaving 15 people homeless but uninjured.

The only certain detail so far is that the fire started in the living room of the four-bedroom home at 2393 Glen Way. Three children were apparently sleeping on mattresses, when one of them, a young teenager, felt the heat and woke up, said Jon Johnston, inspector for the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.

The other two children, a 6-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl, woke their parents, who ran through the house alerting the remaining occupants. The 14 residents escaped through the back, Johnston said.

Another child, whose age was unknown, was away from the house at the time, according to the Red Cross.

What has stumped inspectors is the lack of combustible material at the point of the fire's origin, Johnston said. The wall, he said, contained no wiring and there were no electrical appliances in the blackened space. One possibility, Johnston said, is that someone moved the source after it ignited.

"Our investigation is pretty much done, and the cause of the fire is undetermined," Johnston said. "I couldn't get anybody to tell me. I'm hoping somebody is going to talk more."

The damage to the home is estimated to cost $300,000. About $50,000 in personal belongings was also lost in the fire, Johnston said.

The insurance company of the house's owner is conducting its own investigation into the fire.

Johnston said the house -- a rental unit -- contains no smoke detectors, has an illegally converted garage and a second kitchen. From the looks of it, somebody converted the house almost into a duplex, he said.

Meanwhile, the three families have entered the Red Cross's emergency network. One family of six is staying with relatives, while the remaining families, of six and three, have been placed in a hotel, Red Cross case manager Marilyn Johnson said. The families have declined to comment about the fire.

The Red Cross usually gives disaster victims a check that is supposed to cover food and clothing for a week, and starts by putting them up in a hotel for three days. If more time is needed, money is allocated on a case-by-case basis, Johnson said.

The focus, however, is to get the families into one of San Mateo County's transitional shelters for homeless families, Johnson said.

If those happen to be full, Johnson said the county offers hotel vouchers until a space opens up. The displaced families can also apply for rental assistance from The Red Cross once they find a new home.

E-mail Banks Albach at balbach@dailynewsgroup.com.