On Thursday, Aug. 31 at 9:16 p.m., a 9-1-1 call was received from a fire alarm company reporting a sprinkler activation in a multi-family residence in the 1700 block of W. El Camino Real. The occupants of the residence and the units below self-evacuated before firefighters arrived.

Fire units were dispatched at 9:16 p.m. and arrived on the scene at 9:21 p.m. Units arrived to find a sprinkler system activated on the third floor of a four-story residence due to a cooking fire. The ensuing heat from the fire rose to a level causing the sprinklers to activate.

Firefighters discontinued the water flow from the sprinklers, confirmed there was no fire extension into the building, and performed an overhaul of the structure. Firefighters began salvage operations to remove water from three affected units that suffered water damage.

The residents in two of the three affected units elected to stay in their apartments. Two adults in the apartment directly below the apartment where the fire originated from received a $250 gift card from the California Professional Firefighters Union Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency Program. They used that gift card to stay in a hotel. Further accommodations will be arranged with the apartment building management.

The fire was extinguished with no injuries. The fire cause was determined to be accidental due to unattended cooking, which ignited the contents in a pot on the stove. The estimated damage to the contents and structure is $150,000.