Other - Retail, Retail Hanford, CA – Arson fire at furniture store contained by sprinklers; Damage limited to few pieces of furniture December 29, 2016 viking210 Police and fire officials are investigating after a Hanford furniture store was vandalized and set on fire early Thursday morning. The damage forced the Oak and Sofa Liquidators store at 295 N. Redington Street to close its doors for repairs. Store owner Brandon Mason the total damage was not immediately clear, but he hopes to reopen the Hanford store as soon as possible. Mason said Oak and Sofa Liquidators has been notifying customers who have purchased furniture to pick up their orders at the store’s Visalia location. “People want their stuff before Christmas, so we’ve got to get it to them,” Mason said. Around 2:55 a.m. Thursday, the Hanford Fire Department was called to a structure fire at the store, located in the 200 block of North Redington Street. The Hanford Police Department responded to a burglar alarm at the store at 2:52 a.m. One of the windows at the northeast end of the building had a large hole through the holiday-themed paint job. Battalion Chief Erik Brotemarkle said it appears that someone threw something flammable through the window. Brotemarkle said it appears the flammable substance started a fire inside, about 15 feet inside from the broken window. Due to thick smoke, firefighters had to use a thermal imaging device to locate the fire. Brotemarkle said the building’s sprinkler system confined the fire to a few pieces of furniture. Other merchandise sustained water damage from the sprinklers. Brotemarkle said the fire was mostly extinguished by the time firefighters arrived. Firefighters used a ventilation fan to clear out the heavy smoke. “The sprinkler system for this building did its job,” Brotemarkle said. Mason said the sprinkler system was only activated in the area around the fire. A commercial cleaning and restoration company began cleaning other areas of the store Thursday morning. Fire investigator Capt. Frank Etulain said the fire appears to be the result of arson. Etulain said he could not disclose the exact cause due to the ongoing investigation, but evidence suggests something was likely thrown through the window from the outside. There were no signs that anyone had entered the store. Etulain said firefighters were able to control the burning by moving items around under the sprinkler. A total of 14 personnel responded to the fire. The Hanford Police Department, Kings County Sheriff’s Office and Kings County Fire Department assisted with the incident. Hanford police Capt. Karl Anderson said police are aware of about a half-dozen incidents involving broken windows in the downtown area over the past few weeks. Those have included the Hanford Antique Emporium, Kings Christian Thrift Store and vacant storefronts in the 100 block of East Seventh Street and the 100 block of North Douty Street. On Dec. 12, police responded to a burglary report at the International Church of God in the 500 block of East Seventh Street. Police said someone smashed a window and stole a computer and printer.
