On Christmas Day at 6:54 p.m., the Los Banos City Fire Department responded to a water flow alarm at the new Los Banos Police Department at 1111 G St.
According to Los Banos Police Commander Justin Melden, the water alarm resulted from an inmate tampering with the fire suppression system in a jail cell. His tampering resulted in the water flow activating in his cell.
Melden said that, fortunately, with the help of the Los Banos Fire Department, they repaired the system and restored functionality. About 200 gallons of water flowed from the fire suppression system, and firefighters used a squeegee and a wet vacuum to remove the water.
The inmate who tampered with the system was transported to Merced, and additional charges of felony vandalism and tampering with a fire suppression system were added.
