Electrical Malfunction Causes Hotel Fire on Peninsula

An electrical malfunction started a fire at a Menlo Park hotel Monday night, according to fire officials. Around 7:27 p.m., fire dispatchers received a report of smoke and fire coming from a manager’s unit at the Stanford Inn, located at 115 El Camino Real, fire officials said.

At 7:32 p.m., firefighters arrived on scene and located the fire inside the first floor apartment, coming primarily from a couch, fire officials said. Firefighters were able to quickly knock down the fire. Investigators determined the fire had started behind the couch, where there was an electrical outlet with a number of appliances plugged into it. One of the appliances was an air conditioner, fire officials said.

An electrical malfunction caused the outlet to overheat, which resulted in the fire, according to fire officials. Although the fire did not displace the unit’s residents, a tenant that lived in a unit above was displaced by the fire, fire officials said.

There were no reports of any injuries. Fire officials estimate the fire caused $20,000 in structural damage and $5,000 in property damage.

“People right now, because of the heat and humidity, are using air conditioning and portable units,” fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said. “Those draw a lot of current. If your home isn’t wired for that, it can overload your electrical system and that’s why you get fires like this,” Schapelhouman said.

Schapelhouman said Monday’s fire was the third fire the city has dealt with since Thursday.

By Bay City News

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