1 Hurt In Fire In Abandoned Palo Alto Restaurant
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) - At least one person was injured Saturday night in a fire that, at 8 p.m., was still burning at a former Mexican restaurant at 3877 El Camino Real, a Palo Alto Fire deputy chief said.
The person was found inside the onetime Compadres Mexican Bar and Grill, Deputy Chief Kevin McNally said. The building has been deserted for years, he said, and the person found inside may be a squatter on the property. The person was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The search for others was delayed when the burning building became unstable and firefighters had to retreat, McNally said.
The fire, first reported about 5 p.m. Saturday, has been concentrated in the center of the building and the roof, firefighters said tonight via Twitter.
Crews extinguishing the fire in the 3800 Block of ECR. Exterior operations in the vacant building once it was searched for possible victims. pic.twitter.com/8JM8bE45sK
— PaloAltoFire (@PaloAltoFire) November 11, 2018
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Though the southbound lanes of El Camino Real were open until about 7:30 p.m., all lanes of this main arterial boulevard were then shut down, mostly so firefighters can access additional hydrants and get better water pressure, McNally said.
The restaurant has been closed since 2008. In September 2017, a plan was approved to build on that parcel a mixed-use project including a three-story commercial building, condominiums and town houses. Those structures have not yet been built.
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