Electrical Fire Causes 200 to Flee Building

A $755,000 electrical fire Friday morning forced 200 people to evacuate a new six-story, glass-and steel office building, Westminster fire officials said.

Westminster Battalion Chief Hal Raphael was injured in the two-alarm blaze that drew 40 firefighters, three trucks and five engines.

Raphael, one of the first firefighters on the scene, suffered chemical burns to his eyes after he opened the door to a third-floor electrical room and “putrid chemical smoke came out,” he said. He was treated at Westminster Hospital and released.

According to Raphael, someone telephoned the Fire Department at 8:22 a.m. Friday to report a fire at Orangegate Plaza, 5455 Garden Grove Blvd. By the time firefighters arrived, the building’s sprinkler and alarm system were operating and everyone had evacuated.

Filled With Smoke

Raphael said there was no evidence of a fire from the outside of the building, but inside, the building’s air-conditioning system had spread thick, toxic smoke throughout the building.

The smoke was especially thick on the third floor, where the fire apparently began in a small room housing a computer, a microwave electrical link and other electrical equipment, Raphael said.

The estimated loss from the fire is particularly high because of the expensive electrical components housed in that room, Raphael said. The third-floor tenant is Los Angeles Cellular Telephone, according to building manager Jerry O’Donnell. The building houses 40 corporate tenants.

By late Friday, most workers were back on the job. O’Donnell said that workers on the third floor should be able to return to work Monday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Raphael said he did not believe workmen in the building Friday morning were responsible. Electrical fires can start quickly, he noted: “All it takes is one little flaw in the insulation and then an arc and it continues to grow.”