New Times / News

Fire adds stress to finals week

BY NICK POWELL

Dozens of college students will need to find new places to study after a small fire burned through their apartment building’s electrical system on the 1200 block of Murray Street, rendering the place uninhabitable.

According to a press release from San Luis Obispo City Fire Department, a tenant’s carbon monoxide detector had sounded earlier in the day on Dec. 4, and just before 6 p.m., the same tenant smelled smoke and saw a burn mark growing on her bathroom wall. She called her mother, who advised the tenant to call 911.

A city fire dispatcher advised the tenant to evacuate, which she did while knocking on neighbors’ doors to inform them about the danger.

Four fire engines, a ladder truck, an ambulance, and several police officers arrived on scene to battle the small blaze, which was extinguished before causing any significant structure damage.

However, the building’s main electrical supply was damaged, and power couldn’t be restored to the building. A fire department official told New Times that the property owner was told no one could occupy the building until he can prove to the county building department it’s safe to do so.

The property owner reported that all of the displaced occupants had a place to stay for the night.