San Bernardino firefighters quickly got a handle on a blaze at a former auto dealership early Saturday morning. The inferno, breaking out in the 1200 block of W. Highland Ave., sent plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, which could be seen from blocks away. According to the San Bernardino County Fire Department's Facebook page, the first responders were on scene within minutes, responding to panic-stricken 911 calls.
Upon their arrival, they encountered flames churning out from a compact commercial structure. The firefighting crews had to forcefully gain entry to quickly begin to combat the flames. Their prompt action allowed them to knock down the fire within ten minutes of their arrival, preventing it from spreading, despite the challenging windy conditions that only aimed to fuel the inferno further.
The contained fire left destruction in just one room of the establishment. While fire investigators from the San Bernardino County Fire Department delve into the cause of the fire, no additional details have been released regarding potential underlying reasons for the ignition.
San Bernardino County Fire dispatched a team, including five engine companies, two truck companies, a Battalion Chief, and a Fire Investigator, to tackle the blaze. Research by Underwriter Laboratories (UL) underscores the significance of such a rapid response, with findings that indicate a modernized average-sized room can be fully engulfed in flames in a staggering three minutes — a stark contrast to the slower burn of 30 minutes in rooms furnished with items from half a century ago.
Investigations continue to find for answers about the origin of the fire.
