A vacant building on Shoreline Boulevard was the site of a small fire and subsequent law enforcement action on Thursday. The Mountain View officers, responding to a call about three individuals who were refusing to leave the property, discovered smoke inside a structure at 1599 and 1601 N. Shoreline Boulevard, according to the City of Mountain View Fire Department.
At 8:22 AM, upon arrival and smelling the smoke, the officers called for the assistance of the City of Mountain View Fire Department, which responded by finding and extinguishing a lit Duraflame log placed on a cooking sheet atop the cement floor. The fire, reportedly ignited inside the building, was put out with a water extinguisher before it could further damage the property or cause injuries.
The scene also revealed several extension cords and propane tanks, prompting not only the Fire Marshal but also Building Division inspectors to further investigate. The latter deemed the facility unsafe and uninhabitable, prompting a red tag, and discovered nearby tenants at the adjacent 7-Eleven tapped for power were found having made unauthorized connections to an AT&T utility box.
The afternoon saw a permit for the demolition of the derelict property approved by the Fire Marshal’s Office, with the Building Division reviewing the plan and expected to issue permits in the coming business days. A female juvenile found inside the building, aged 16, was transported to San Mateo County Juvenile Hall for violating probation. Arrested at the scene was John Thompson, a Mountain View resident, aged 58, facing multiple charges stemming from the incident, among these were the misdemeanors related to the obstruction of police duty, theft of utility services, and drug paraphernalia possession.
The third individual present complied with the police's request and exited the premises without further incident. There has been no reported follow-up regarding this subject.
