Three-Alarm Fire Destroys California High School Cafeteria

When school administrators leave their offices at the end of the day, they never expect to arrive at work the next day only to see the school buildings have burned down. Although it may sound like a nightmare, this was the reality for teachers and employees at Mountain View High School in El Monte, California. According to multiple news sources, the blaze, which ravaged the school cafeteria on Monday, January 21, broke out around 2:30 a.m.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they immediately noticed heavy smoke and flames before calling for a second alarm. As the fire raged on, hazardous conditions inside the cafeteria, including falling roof material forced rescue crews to pursue a “defensive approach,” said Tony Imbrenda, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “The possibility of collapse became so substantial our units could not stay inside,” he added.

After it became clear that a third alarm should be called around 3:15 a.m., more firefighters arrived on the scene, bringing the total number present to 150. Imbrenda also revealed that some of the flames were more than 75 feet in height.

After battling the blaze for more than four hours, firefighters successfully extinguished the three-alarm fire at 6:30 a.m.

Although the cause of the fire is still unknown, Imbrenda did say that he is not ruling out foul play just yet. “Arson is possible,” he said in a statement. “But there’s nothing that we’ve heard to indicate that.

This Monday incident demonstrates the importance of having a good fire alarm monitoring system in your place of work. Doing so could prevent a blaze from becoming deadly and causing irreversible damage. If you would like to know more about the benefits of these critical systems, then don’t delay. Contact a reputable company in your area today and inquire about fire alarm sales.