A Berkeley woman in her 80s is in critical condition after yesterday afternoon's apartment fire at Redwood Gardens, a senior housing complex tucked into UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr campus. Firefighters arrived to find smoke filling a hallway, with in-unit sprinklers already knocking down the main flames. The apartment itself took heavy smoke and water damage, officials said. The resident’s dog made it out unhurt and was handed off to a neighbor while some tenants waited things out in the community room.
Sprinklers Knock Down Flames Before Crews Move In
Battalion Chief Brian Harryman told crews that by the time firefighters located the affected unit, the building’s sprinkler system had already “doused the flames,” though there was still “extensive smoke damage and water damage” inside. Firefighters were dispatched just after 4:40 PM and focused on ventilating the building and securing the scene, with most operations wrapping up within about an hour, according to The Berkeley Scanner.
Medics Rush Victim To Highland Hospital
Paramedics treated the woman at the scene for apparent smoke inhalation and respiratory burns before taking her to Highland Hospital in Oakland, officials said. A fire investigator was called out to determine what sparked the blaze, and the Berkeley Fire Department estimated that more than 100 residents live in the complex. By about 5:40 p.m., as crews wrapped up cleanup, officials said they did not expect any other residents to be displaced. Those details were reported by The Berkeley Scanner, and Highland Hospital is part of the Alameda Health System network, according to Alameda Health System.
Inside Redwood Gardens
Redwood Gardens is a long-standing HUD-subsidized senior housing complex on UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr campus, with roughly 169 units. Over the years, residents have flagged maintenance problems, including recurring plumbing issues that drew local media attention. The complex’s community room also serves as a neighborhood polling place, according to county election records. Those details are documented by Berkeleyside and confirmed in listings from Alameda County Elections.
Sprinklers Likely Kept A Bad Situation From Getting Worse
Automatic sprinkler systems are widely credited with controlling residential fires and significantly reducing injuries and deaths when they activate. While investigators will sort out the exact cause of the Redwood Gardens fire, experts say the in-unit sprinkler that went off almost certainly limited the flames and kept them from spreading into other apartments. Research from the National Fire Protection Association finds that sprinklers operate effectively in the vast majority of incidents where they are installed. NFPA
What Happens Next
Investigators remained on scene as officials worked to determine what started the fire and to monitor the condition of the critically injured resident. City officials are urging families and tenants to keep an eye on official channels for any new information or safety guidance. The Berkeley Fire Department posts incident updates and fire safety resources on its website, according to the Berkeley Fire Department.
