Santa Cruz firefighters respond to three fires in two days
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The Santa Cruz County Fire Department said it responded to three fires over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.
One of the fires was a vegetation fire in Ariana Gulch, another was at a home on High Street and the other was at the Dream Inn Hotel.
Ariana Gulch
Just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, firefighters responded to a report of a vegetation fire near Mentel Avenue at Agnes Street. They said it was burning about 300 feet from the road, and crews started putting hose lines in place.
When more crews arrived to help, they said forward progress of the fire stopped within ten minutes. Firefighters said the fire was about 150' by 30' feet and moving at a moderate rate uphill in brush.
The fire was fully contained within 45 minutes and no structures were threatened. Crews said the cause of the fire is unknown, but they believe it started in a shopping cart that was on fire.
High Street
Just before 10 p.m. Wednesday, the fire department responded to a fire at a home in the 1400 block of High Street.
While firefighters were on their way, the 911 call center told them that there were several dogs in the home and that the people living there went back inside to find them.
When firefighters got there, they said there was heavy smoke coming from the front doors, and fire crews worked to ventilate the house and search for everyone inside.
Five people and seven dogs were evacuated from the house. The Fire Department said everyone was found and no injuries were reported.
The Fire Department said the fire started in the kitchen and was caused by an electrical failure to an outlet. The damage is estimated at $100,000.
Dream Inn Hotel
Firefighters responded to a water flow fire alarm at the Dream Inn Hotel on West Cliff Drive at about 1:15 Wednesday morning. When they arrived, they said there was an alarm sounding and the 10-story hotel was being evacuated. The 911 call center said they received smoke detector activations in several rooms on the third floor.
Crews said they found heavy smoke coming from a third floor laundry room and an active fire. Some firefighters used hose lines to start extinguishing the fire while others conducted a room-by-room search.
The Fire Department said everyone got out and no injuries were reported. It took crews several hours to get the smoke out of the building and restore elevators and the sprinkler system. Eventually, hotel guests were able to return to their rooms.
The department said a sprinkler head in the laundry room helped contain the fire to that room, which started in a laundry basket full of towels. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
