Fire At Modesto Planned Parenthood Deemed Suspicious
MODESTO (CBS13) — Investigators are calling a fire at that has closed a Modesto Planned Parenthood indefinitely suspicious.
Modesto fire and police believe the fire early Wednesday morning was a case of arson.
When firefighters arrived, they found a broken glass door on the south side of the building. The alarm was sounding and the sprinkler system had been triggered.
Soot from the fire is still visible on the door frame and the wall above it.
A spokesperson for the clinic says some of their equipment suffered water damage and they aren't sure when they'll reopen. Staff are redirecting patients to their nearest health center.
This Planned Parenthood offers abortion medication, as well as birth control, STD testing and vaccinations.
The nonprofit has seen itself at the center of attacks recently over its stance on abortion. In Colorado, three people were killed in 2015 when a gunman opened fire at one of the clinics. Also that year, a Washington clinic was set ablaze while one in New Hampshire was vandalized.
An anti-abortion organization also released several smear videos allegedly showing Planned Parenthood officials offering to sell fetal tissue for profit, but those videos have been found to have been altered, and the creators of the videos were indicted in Texas.