Fire Department Evacuates Social Services Building

A little before 11 a.m., the Mountain View Fire Department responded to a call about a burning smell inside 100 Moffett Blvd.

According to dispatch the caller said that after a brief power outage at the Social Services building, the back generator kicked in and that's when the burning smell began.

This was confirmed by a supervisor who said "the smell started when the generator kicked in."

"It was a burning smell," she said.

However Antonino Pascoal, a facilities worker at Social Services, later told Patch that there isn't a backup generator. He did confirm the problem emanated from the electrical room.

MVFD arrived quickly on the scene and began to assess the situation. While it was not immediately located, firefighters soon smelled the odor too. They ordered the evacuation of the one-story commercial structure, which had approximately 40 people inside, according to another supervisor.

Firefighters also saw some smoke coming from an interior electrical panel. PG&E was contacted and arrived soon after. The utility replaced the fuse by 11:30 a.m. in order to help restore power to the building. However, power has not yet been restored, according to Pascoal.

Patch learned that clients were sent home and employees would possibily finish their day at the San Jose office.

There appeared to be no injuries.

Additional reporting by L.A. Chung.