Agency: Mountain View
Incident Address: 200 East Dana St., Mountain View
Type: 4th alarm.
Details: Large multi-building, two-story, multi-unit apartment complex. Fire in the roof space. Two elevated streams and numerous hand lines and ground lines employed. Three engines pumping. Building will be repairable. Numerous persons displaced.
Responders:
MTV: E-1, 2, 3, 4, 5; T-1; R-1; IC-Batt. 18 (Del Carlo)
SNY: E- 3; T-1; Batt. 30
MOF: E-5
SNC: T-8
CNT: E-15, 16; Batt. 14
PAF: E-5 (Station Fill); T-6; R-1 w/BS-1; Batt. 6
County Medic 16
FASCV Responding Unit: FSU-1. Released at 2130 hours.
Responders: Bob Gundrum (driver), Jerry Haag, Dan Wong, Ron Green, George Hoyt, Bruce Dembecki, Larry Carr, Janice Carr (guest) and Walter Huber (guest)
At 3:26 p.m. on Monday, February 27th, the Mountain View Fire Department was dispatched to reports of a building on fire at 200 E. Dana Street. Upon arrival firefighters found flames coming from the second story of a large apartment complex. Firefighters quickly initiated a fire attack and rescue operation. A second, third, and fourth alarm were quickly called as firefighters worked to suppress the fire and bring it under control. Mutual aid was provided during this incident by County Fire, Palo Alto Fire Department, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, Moffett Fire Department and the Santa Clara Fire Department. These departments along with the Mountain View Fire Department provided a total of 9 engines, 3 trucks, 2 rescue units, 4 Battalion Chiefs, and 4 Chief Officers. The Mountain View Police Department as well as the Santa Clara County Fire Associates also provided support throughout the incident.
On Monday night, 26 units in the complex were uninhabitable. The Red Cross, with the assistance of the Mountain View Whisman School District, opened a temporary emergency shelter at Landels Elementary School to assess the basic needs of the residents.
Fire Associates responded to the second alarm call out at 3:53 and Bob Gundrum brought Fire Support Unit 1 to the scene a few minutes later. Throughout the evening Bob was joined by FASCV members Jerry Haag, Larry Carr, Dan Wong, Ron Green, Bruce Dembecki and George Hoyt. Also on scene with Fire Associates was FASCV guests Janice Carr and Walter Huber.
By early evening it was clear we were in for a long night, and Bruce Dembecki was dispatched to collect meals for the large team of first responders on the scene. Dinner was served around 7:30, and both hot and cold drinks went fast as hard working fire fighters took a few minutes here and there to recover from their exertion. With crews fed and the situation calmed down to a quiet roar, Fire Support Unit 1 and the FASCV crew was released at 9:30 p.m.
- Bruce's photos are at: Apartment Fire
- A San Jose Mercury News Penninsula edition story can be read at: Large Apartment Fire
- An ABC-7 news story is at: Mountain View Apartment Fire
-- Report Submitted by Jerry Haag and Bruce Dembecki
