Incident– Two Alarm Commercial Fire
Date/Time– 1/23/23, 9:47pm
Location– 1700 block of North Mt Vernon, San Bernardino
Contact– Mike McClintock, Battalion Chief / PIO, Mmcclintock@sbcfire.org
Last night San Bernardino County Fire crews were dispatched to a reported commercial fire in the area of West 17th St & North Mt Vernon Ave, San Bernardino. 911 callers stated smoke from a large commercial building.
Firefighters quickly arrived on-scene to find heavy smoke and fire showing from a medium sized vacant commercial occupancy. Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior fire attack in zero visibility conditions. Crews worked to complete both a fire attack and search of the building. Truck crews on the roof completed vertical ventilation to help increase visibility & lower heat conditions inside. Heavy winds fanned the flames and despite their best efforts, crews had to pull back to a defensive posture. Firefighters were unable to complete a thorough search of the building.
The 10,000 square foot building previously did business as a banquet hall and event center. Due to the size of the fire and building, a second alarm was quickly struck. Windy conditions quickly spread the fire through the large occupancy. An energized downed power line complicated suppression efforts & created a hazard to firefighters.
Crews continued with a defensive fire attack, working with large hose lines and aerial master streams to suppress the fire. Ultimately the fire was knocked down in approximately sixty minutes. A #SBCoFD Excavator was requested to assist with overhaul due to structural integrity concerns. The building was a total loss. The fire remains under investigation by San Bernardino County Fire Investigators. No injuries to firefighters or citizens were noted.
San Bernardino County Fire responded with nine Engines, two Truck Companies, a Medic Squad, two Battalion Chiefs, a Training/Safety Office & two Fire Investigators. San Bernardino PD assisted with traffic control on busy Mt Vernon Ave.
*Aerial shots courtesy of Twitter user “TheCadHound” & “Local_Informant1”
