Berkeley apartment fire displaces 9 people
"It was windy," said one community member. "No warning for neighbors. Very scary in light of what is happening in LA."
Nine people were displaced due to a fire at a Berkeley apartment building in the Elmwood neighborhood over the weekend, authorities report.
The fire broke out shortly before 2:40 a.m. Sunday. Someone called 911 to report the fire in the 2600 block of Ashby Avenue at Benvenue Avenue west of College Avenue.
One caller reported smoke and high flames coming off the roof, the Berkeley Fire Department said in response to a Scanner inquiry.
Arriving firefighters observed a "heavy column coming from a three-story center hallway apartment," according to emergency dispatches reviewed by The Scanner. They found "heavy fire" and smoke on the roof.
Berkeley police also responded to shut down traffic in the area during the fire response.
Firefighters were able to access the roof via an interior stairwell and proceeded to douse the flames.
Firefighters also evacuated the building, working their way down from the third floor, according to emergency dispatches.
They were able to knock down the fire shortly before 3 a.m.
"They knocked it down but had chainsaws running for hours as they continued to mop up," one community member told TBS on Sunday. "It was windy last night, no warning for neighbors. Very scary in light of what is happening in LA. Talked with one resident who managed to save herself and her cats. Said everyone made it out."
Once the fire was under control, firefighters searched the building for possible victims. No one was hurt, but nine occupants were displaced due to the fire.
They were allowed to retrieve critical items from the building before being relocated with help from the American Red Cross.
Some sections of the building were unaffected and remain habitable, BFD said Monday.
According to emergency dispatches, much of the damage was due to water, including from building sprinklers, related to the fire response.
BFD also noted the presence of several pets in the building, including two cats and a dog.
As of Monday afternoon, the cause of the fire had not been determined and no damage estimate was available, BFD said.
One occupant said there were reports that someone had used an accelerant on the roof but BFD could not confirm that information Monday.
