Fire breaks out at Petaluma homeless shelter
By Bay City News
A fire broke out at the People’s Village homeless shelter in Petaluma on Friday morning.
Petaluma firefighters responded to the structure fire on the 900-block of Hopper Street at about 4:09 a.m., according to a press release from the Petaluma Fire Department.
The village is a collection of 25 tiny homes built in a lot behind the Mary Isaak Center, designed to provide a safe, managed shelter to address the county’s declared shelter crisis.
The fire broke out in one of the units but was controlled by the fire sprinklers installed as part of the construction of the village. The fire alarm also worked as designed, allowing an occupant to escape.
The fire had mostly been extinguished by the sprinklers by the time firefighters entered the unit, according to the department’s press release.
Firefighters credited the safety features with preventing the fire from spreading to other units.
No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.