Tea-Light Batteries Possibly to Blame For Small Fire At Santa Rosa Junior College

SONOMA COUNTY, CA – Firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out in the Santa Rosa Junior College Museum Tuesday afternoon.

Just before 12:15 p.m., firefighters responded to the locked, unoccupied museum and evacuated adjacent classrooms, Santa Rosa Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal said.

Firefighters found a small fire that had been contained by the building's clean-agent Inergen fire suppression system.

Coin-sized lithium batteries appeared to have ignited the fire, Lowenthal said, but the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The batteries had been purchased for tea lights as part of a Dia de los Muertos altar display, which was damaged by the fire suppression system.

The museum's permanent collection of art and artifacts was not damaged in the fire, Lowenthal said.

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--Bay City News/Image via Santa Rosa JC ‏@srjc