SPFD: Shopping center storage room scene of golf cart fire
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: August 22, 2008
The Santa Paula Shopping Center was the scene of a fire that occurred Monday mid-afternoon when a battery pack on a maintenance cart shorted out, causing the evacuation of a nearby business.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
The Santa Paula Shopping Center was the scene of a fire that occurred Monday mid-afternoon when a battery pack on a maintenance cart shorted out, causing the evacuation of a nearby business. The incident occurred August 18 at about 2:24 p.m., according to Santa Paula Fire Chief Rick Araiza.
Santa Paula, Ventura County Fire and Fillmore Fire companies responded to the north side of the shopping center behind Heritage Hardware, located at 568 W. Main St., where “It looks like a short in the batteries of a golf cart” started the blaze in a storage room at the back of the Heritage Hardware building, Araiza said at the scene. “It just destroyed the cart so far and has not gone inside yet.” Fortunately, the fire occurred in the maintenance storage room, a block wall enclosure, and was confined to the immediate area.
“I was babysitting my grandkids when I got a call and an employee said there was a fire,” said Heritage Hardware owner Brenda Padgett. “The store had to be evacuated... the fire alarms were going off and there was smoke in the back room. They haven’t let us back in yet to see if there was any smoke damage... I hope not.”
Araiza said that the blaze triggered a fire sprinkler, which quickly extinguished the fire. “The cart was smoking when we made forced entry,” which required firefighters cutting a deadbolt, “but no actual fire was noted. The fire had spread throughout the cart,” which firefighters found was unplugged and had not been charging.
Araiza said due to the damage to the cart itself and the fire pattern on the interior wall, it appears the fire was started by an electrical short to the battery system. Estimated damage resulting from the fire was $3,000 for the golf cart - which was completely destroyed - and $500 to the contents of the storage room.
“There was a block wall between the storage room and Heritage Hardware, so there was no damage to the store,” said Araiza, “only to the cart and the contents around the cart.” Fire companies cleared the scene after about an hour.
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