On Thursday, April 30, 2020, at 7:53 am, crews responded to the report of a residential structure fire in the 6000 block of Calle del Cruce in Fairbanks Ranch. Upon arrival, they saw smoke coming from the garage and discovered a small electrical fire. A single sprinkler head had activated, keeping the fire from spreading. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames, limiting the damage to a small area of the garage and two vehicles that were parked inside. A working smoke alarm system alerted the residents to the fire and they were able to safely evacuate the structure.
“Today’s incident highlights the importance of having working fire protection systems in your home,” said Battalion Chief Bret Davidson, who served as the incident commander. “Without the sprinkler head activating, the fire could easily have destroyed the garage and possibly the entire house.” He went on to add “had there not been working smoke alarms in the house, the family would have been delayed in evacuating the home, risking smoke inhalation and other potential injuries. Without these systems in place, this incident could have had a much different outcome.”
Crews remained on scene for approximately two hours assisting the family and cleaning up. Fire Prevention determined the fire was an accidental electrical fire. No injuries were reported and the family did not require housing assistance.