Berkeley Animal Shelter fire under investigation
Update: As of Monday, the city said it had no estimate as to when the shelter would reopen to the public.
Authorities are investigating the cause of a suspicious fire over the weekend at the Berkeley Animal Shelter at 1 Bolivar Drive.
The fire was small and no animals were hurt or displaced, officials said.
But there were indications of suspicious activity, including a broken window in the vicinity of the fire, Deputy Berkeley Fire Chief Keith May told The Scanner.
And damage, including from smoke, closed the shelter to the public Sunday, Peter Radu told ABC7, with reopening expected by mid-week.
"I got the phone call maybe about 10:40 last night, that there was a fire here," Radu, who works in the city manager's office, told the news station. "My mind immediately went to: Oh, my God. This could be a horrible tragedy."
Readers alerted The Scanner to the fire Saturday night, asking for details.
The Berkeley Fire Department was initially notified just before 10:10 p.m.
It began with a sprinkler system alert indicating water flow, Chief May said.
At least one caller also saw flames inside the building, according to radio dispatches reviewed by The Scanner.
Arriving firefighters found a working fire beneath the first-floor stairwell where the shelter collects donations, May said.
The building sprinkler system "did its job," stopping the fire from spreading beyond the stairwell, he said.
Radu told ABC7 that the kennel fire doors also kept the animals safe.
The fire was declared under control before 10:30 p.m., according to emergency dispatches.
May said authorities will interview potential witnesses, including shelter staff, this week to learn more about what could have happened.
Update, June 8, 10:45 a.m. Peter Radu, Neighborhood Services manager, provided the following update Monday: "The shelter remains closed today as we continue to assess impacts of the fire, the safety of the building for animals and people, and what we need to resume normal operations. This is a fluid situation and evolving quickly, so at this time we cannot comment on nor project how long it will take to open."
Update, June 8, 3:45 p.m. The Berkeley Fire Department just shared the following statement. It appears below in full.
Berkeley Fire received a 9-1-1 call at 10:08 p.m. on Saturday, June 6. The initial call was for a water flow alarm, but it was upgraded to a working structure fire.
Nine units responded to the call. The building's sprinkler system held the fire in check. The fire originated under a stairwell where donated items for the shelter were stored. The fire remains under investigation but is considered suspicious in nature.
There were no injuries to civilians, animals, or fire fighters and the crew encountered no challenges during the response.
The fire appears to have been contained to the stairwell area. We do not have an assessment of damages at this point.
The City shelter remains closed to the public as the City continues to evaluate the impacts of the fire, the safety of the building for animals and people, and what is needed to resume normal operations.
There are no further details at this time.
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