PRC’s office at 1809 Palmetto Avenue was damaged by a structure fire on Wednesday night, Sept. 22. A fire alarm was triggered at 11:15 p.m. and the North County Fire Authority was on the scene in three-and-a-half minutes. There was no one in the building at the time.
North County Fire Authority Safety Inspector/Investigator Mack Srivieng said an initial investigation could not determine arson and the cause of the fire was also unconfirmed. Wooden pallets that are delivered with groceries for distribution had been briefly stored on the deck alongside the back wall of PRC’s main building; fire officials said the primary initial source of the fire that damaged the building were the pallets that somehow caught on fire. There was no specific cause identified.
The blaze seriously damaged the back wall and the deck planking around the rear of the building, as well as burned shrubbery and a dividing fence separating a rear neighbor and PRC. No damage to any buildings other than within the PRC facility occurred.
The blaze was large enough to create a threat to the portable building next to the main building, but an outdoor sprinkler system protected it. However, the heat was so intense that it melted the colorful mural on the side of the portable building. Fortunately, the portable was spared.
Firefighters broke down the front door to the main building and were able to extinguish the blaze before it could engulf the entire structure. The connected decking was destroyed where the fire was most intense.
There is damage to the reception area and significant damage to one of the PRC offices, where windows had been destroyed, but the fire did not enter and do more damage. Officials will be requesting video footage from surveillance cameras in the neighborhood.
Due to the significant amount of damage to the outer area and the interior reception area, the Pacifica Resource Center will be closed to the public for the immediate future. Executive Director Anita Rees will be working with the insurance company and other agencies to plan for repair and upgrading. A claim has already been filed and an adjuster will be working with her. The owners of the property will not be financially impacted and PRC is working with the Gibbs family to keep them abreast of the situation.
“While this is indeed a tragic and heartbreaking blow to the Pacifica Resource Center, we are grateful no one was injured,” says PRC Board President Chris Hunter. “We will do all we can to continue serving the community while working to come up with solutions to this unexpected challenge. I want to thank the North County Fire Authority, the Pacifica Police Department, in particular Corporal Brandon Smith, and the Public Works Department from the City of Pacifica for all they have done to protect and preserve PRC during a stressful and frightening event.”
People who need continued support from the Pacifica Resource Center are urged to call (650) 738-7470 or visit the website at https://www.pacresourcecenter.org/contact.
