Residents of a multi-family housing complex in Mountain View were given a scare yesterday morning when smoke was detected emanating from the walls of a condominium. According to the City of Mountain View, a 9-1-1 call was placed at 10:10 a.m., alerting the fire department of the potential hazard on the 200 block of Horizon Avenue. The occupants had already left before firefighters arrived at the scene.
City fire units were dispatched one minute after the call. Their rapid response saw the first engine reaching the location by 10:16 a.m., where they discovered a malfunctioning power strip as the culprit for the smoke. The firefighters subsequently unplugged the devices connected to the power strip and uncovered evidence of corrosion and charring, indicating moisture exposure leading to the power strip's failure.
No injuries were reported from the incident, and the affected resident was permitted to re-enter the home before the fire crew departed.
