On Friday, a fire began in the underground parking garage of 599 Castro Street, a three-story commercial building located in Mountain View, California, as per the City press release.

Firefighters faced harsh conditions in the form of zero visibility due to smoke from the burning vehicle and extreme heat from the underground location. The garage's sprinkler system agitated, helping to isolate the fire to the originating vehicle while firefighters effectively used thermal imaging cameras to accurately extinguish the blaze using a fire-attack hose line.

Due to the building's size and the smoke spread on the upper floors, a second alarm was rung, which rallied more resources to guarantee everyone's safety. The combined efforts of the Mountain View Fire Department, Palo Alto Fire Department, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, and the Santa Clara County Fire Departments yielded a thorough search of the garage.

While investigation on the fire's cause is ongoing, the vehicle from which it started, according to its owner, hasn't recently been serviced or had known mechanical issues. The damage resulting from this fire was around $25,000, a cost that could have been much higher if not for the departments' quick and efficient response.

During the operations at 599 Castro St., the Mountain View Police Department shut down the 500 block of Castro Street in both ways, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority redirected its buses around the location. Traffic operations resumed shortly after the incident, with the building management taking over to arrange for a temporary fire watch and rebooting the sprinkler and fire alarm systems.