Fire behind Berkeley apartment building under investigation
Firefighters found flames coming from a shed behind the property.
Berkeley firefighters quickly put out a large fire behind an apartment building Saturday night, according to early reports.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 2500 block of San Pablo Avenue, between Dwight Way and Blake Street, at about 8:10 p.m. for what was called in as a debris fire, according to emergency traffic reviewed by The Scanner.
When they got to the scene, they could immediately see flames and smoke behind the two-story apartment building.
Phil Rowntree, a local resident and photographer who documented what appeared to be a huge emergency response, said the heavy smoke had a "horrible acrid" smell.
A blaze broke out Saturday night behind a West Berkeley apartment building. Phil Rowntree / Catch23.com
Firefighters quickly upgraded the initial response to get more engines and resources to the West Berkeley scene.
One reader told TBS she saw "Tons of fire trucks racing down Dwight toward Sacramento" Street.
As firefighters worked to douse the blaze, they could see flames coming from a water heater shed behind the property, according to radio traffic.
They evacuated residents from the small apartment building and closed nearby streets as they knocked down the fire, according to emergency dispatches.
Firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading into the building itself, according to preliminary reports.
After knocking down the fire just before 8:30 p.m., BFD called for an investigator to respond to the scene.
Stay tuned for updates.
