A two-alarm fire yesterday sent Oakland firefighters racing into a five-story apartment building on the 200 block of Fairmount Avenue, where they pulled residents to safety as flames climbed into the attic. Crews cut open the roof to chase stubborn hot spots, and while no people were hurt, one tenant’s cat died. The blaze damaged multiple units and forced several households out of their homes overnight.
Rescue and response
Battalion Chief Anthony Sanders told KTVU that “the fire itself was pretty challenging” as crews stretched hose lines to the upper floors, opened the roof and worked to keep the flames from spreading through the building. The first engine arrived around 7:52 PM after reports of smoke and flames from an upper floor, and officials said the fire was under control by 8:20 PM.
No tenants or firefighters were injured, but one resident’s cat did not survive. Fire officials said 11 apartments were displaced and four units sustained damage.
Older buildings can complicate firefighting
Fire officials said the operation was complicated by the building’s lack of an internal pipe mechanism that would normally speed interior firefighting, forcing crews to rely entirely on hose lines for water. Local rules and exceptions for sprinklers and standpipe systems mean some older multiunit buildings do not have modern suppression systems, which can slow interior attacks.
For more on retrofit and sprinkler requirements, see Municode, and visit the Oakland Fire Department for prevention and inspection resources.
Aftermath and next steps
Crews planned to remain at the scene to check for hot spots and handle mop-up, and tenants in unaffected units were allowed back inside, officials said. The cause of the two-alarm blaze remains under investigation, and the city is asking anyone with information to contact authorities.
Battalion Chief Sanders noted that Engine 10, which recently reopened after renovations, was instrumental in the quick response and likely helped limit lateral spread, according to KTVU.
