LAKEPORT, Calif. – Firefighters from several agencies were part of the effort to quickly knock down two early morning fires, one at a home that burned a vehicle and outbuilding and another that did some limited damage at a Lakeport grocery store.
The fires at the residence in the 4800 block of George Road and at Bruno's Shop Smart on Lakeport Boulevard were reported on Thursday at about 3:30 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. respectively, based on radio traffic.
Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said his district, along with Kelseyville Fire and Cal Fire responded, to the fire at the George Road residence.
He said the family living there was awakened to sounds of popping. They went out to find a pickup on fire, which in turn ignited a nearby shed.
The fire also burned a small amount of grass, with Hutchison pointing out that the family had kept their grass mowed, which kept the fire from spreading.
He said he's not yet 100-percent sure of a final cause, but that it appears to have started with the pickup, which along with the shed was destroyed in the fire.
As they were getting that fire under control, Hutchison and some of the units left to go to the fire at Bruno's, where Lakeport Police officers were on scene clearing the building of about three employees, based on radio reports.
While initial reports indicated the fire was seen on the outside of the building, Hutchison said there actually was not any fire on the exterior. “The fire was contained inside.”
He added, “The fire for the most part was confined to the roof and a flue vent from one of their commercial ovens.”
The main damage was to ceiling tiles, a membrane used to seal the roof and an air pump for ventilating the store's oven. Hutchison said the rooftop unit was destroyed.
He said firefighters had to cut out a 10-foot by 6-foot section of insulation and roof membrane away during overhaul, but did not have to cut down into the metal decking.
Inside, firefighters “shot a little bit of water back inside the bakery section,” but Hutchison said most of the water in the store came through the roof from the firefighting effort on top of the building.
There also was light smoke throughout the entire store when firefighters arrived, which Hutchison said they cleared out using large positive pressure fans at the store entrances.
Pacific Gas and Electric also responded, said Hutchison, and helped isolate the electricity in the bakery and the rooftop so firefighters could safely work on overhaul.
Hutchison said Lakeport Fire's resources included one engine and a ladder truck, Kelseyville Fire sent an engine, Northshore Fire sent three engines and a battalion chief and Cal Fire had an engine and battalion chief on scene. A ladder truck that had been requested from Lake County Fire was canceled en route. Units cleared the scene at about 6:30 a.m.
Hutchison said the incident looked like a classic chimney fire, with a buildup of flammable material in the flue.
He did not offer a damage estimate but said that the structure itself had little overall damage, with the main loss being the rooftop air pump unit.
The store itself is open and operating, said Hutchison, who visited the store later in the day to pick up equipment.
He said the bakery section will have to be closed temporarily for repairs and will need a health department inspection to reopen.
At the store on Thursday afternoon, it was mostly business as usual, with the exception of the bakery services being offline temporarily and some of the impacts from the firefighting effort, according to store manager, Carlos Fagundes.
He said the damage was mostly isolated to the roof, with the only disruption being the water used to fight the fire.
Fagundes said he expected the store to be fully operational on Friday, except for the bakery, where he believed repairs will take about a week.
In the meantime, he said Bruno's will bring in baked goods from a sister store in Clearlake.
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Firefighters put out early morning fires at residence, Bruno's grocery store; store open with minor damage
- Elizabeth Larson
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