SAN RAMON, Calif. -- The local fire chief's home caught fire Tuesday morning while an electrician was working on a problem the chief had discovered the night before, a fire marshal said Thursday.
The fire was reported at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 4200 block of Blackhawk Meadow Court.
It was a minor fire and was put out quickly, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Christina Jamison said.
The night before, Jamison said, fire Chief Richard Price noticed the breaker tripped at his home and wouldn't reset. He called an electrician out to make repairs the following morning, and while that electrician was working, some electrical wiring started a fire in the home's attic, Jamison said.
The fire was relatively easy to control because it burned a hole in a sprinkler pipe running through the attic, spraying water directly back onto the flames, Jamison said.
"It was actually a very fortunate event in that regard," she said. Firefighters doused the one-alarm fire quickly after arriving and there was minimal damage to the house, she added.
No one was reported hurt.
Residential sprinkler systems for homes are designed for life safety, unlike commercial systems, which typically emphasize property protection as well, Jamison explained.
"So in an office or a warehouse, you have all the spaces above and below ceilings protected," she said. "But in a residence, often just the living area is protected, and there's
not protection in the concealed areas like the attic. But a lot of times, the piping is running up there."
Price not return phone calls seeking comment.
Copyright 2012 - Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
