With the following stated by the Chief, the question is why was Cafe Silan permitted to continue to operate? Notified three times since September? They not only took out their own business, yet those of innocent business owners adjacent to them: "Maintenance of Cafe Silan's fire-suppression systems "was an issue," the chief said. Management had been notified three times since September 2009 that the fire extinguisher was one year overdue and that the device over the oven that smothers fires with a blanket of fire-suppressing powder was two years overdue", the chief said.

Agree with localone and it is easy to see how this multi-business tragedy could have been avoided. Does Cafe Silan compensate the other businesses somehow for this negligence?

A better question is: how will the building owner (a leader of the Asphalt Preservation Alliance) blame this on the evil, evil Downtown Plan? Was the building so frightened by the prospect of wider sidewalks that it just spontaneously burst into flames?

Thank you Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman for understanding that operating businesses mean taxes and jobs, and that working with them is the best for all. Thank you for understanding that overbearing and oppressive government is bad for the community and the citizens.

"Maintenance of Cafe Silan's fire-suppression systems" means that it was to be inspected at a significant expense to the business. The inspection is always expensive and often results in nothing more than a signature on an inspection card. Less often the inspection may result in repairs, recharging, or adjustments. The fire-suppression system was likely working, just the inspections were not completed.

"The cause of the fire is still unknown, but the suspect is an improperly installed flue."

The business had let their insurance lapse. Business insurance is now very expensive due in part to the inability of Americans to take responsibility for their own actions and their propensity to litigate. You spill coffee on yourself and you get a million dollars??? People need to be responsible for their own actions and we need to understand that hurting businesses hurts us all as they pass the costs on to us.

Remember, over taxed, over regulated, over burdened business go out of business, cut employees, and raise their prices to the consumers.

Often people complain about the businesses that pay poorly, don't provide benefits, and don't provide healthcare. Yet those same consumers patronize those same businesses because they have lower prices.

Guest states:"Remember, over taxed, over regulated, over burdened business go out of business, cut employees, and raise their prices to the consumers."

In fact this fire demonstrates that businesses which do not follow the rules and comply with the law place both themselves and others at risk.
And to do so without the insurance which would help protect others who suffer from such behavior is simply irresponsible.

Guest also completely misrepresents the comments made by the Fire Chief - at no time did he even suggest that "overbearing and oppressive government is bad for the community and the citizens. "

Guest should speak for him/herself - not for respected public officials.

Bevmo is Comming to Menlo Park
I just saw ABC license posting on the door of old Chilli's and the applicant is Bevmo.