Firefighters were called to Vale Healthcare Center at 13484 San Pablo Ave. about 2:10 p.m. for a report of a fire, according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman Steve Hill.
Hill said the fire ignited inside a room on one of the facility’s four wings, and while the flames were quickly snuffed out by a sprinkler system, 36 patients still had to be evacuated. The evacuated patients were ultimately re-accommodated elsewhere in the facility.
No injuries were reported, but there was smoke and water damage to a handful of rooms, according to Hill.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire snarled traffic in the surrounding area, but authorities said things were starting to return to normal by about 4 p.m.
