10 families displaced by Berkeley apartment fire
One of the residents said he woke to the sound of shouting and saw flames almost to his bedroom door.
A fire in two West Berkeley apartment buildings overnight Tuesday left 10 families without shelter, authorities said.
One of the residents said he woke to the sound of shouting and opened his eyes to find his home on fire.
"The flames were already almost right at my bedroom door," he said.
Deputy Berkeley Fire Chief Keith May said a neighbor initially called 911 to report the fire at 2:51 a.m. Then more calls started coming.
When firefighters arrived, they found side-by-side two-story apartment buildings on fire in the 2300 block of Ninth Street, north of Channing Way.
Residents were able to leave the buildings on their own, authorities said.
BFD upgraded the response to a two-alarm fire and had PG&E come to the scene as well, May said.
Oakland and El Cerrito firefighters also responded to the city, according to radio traffic reviewed by The Scanner.
BFD declared the fire under control just after 3:35 a.m.
One person was assessed for a possible medical issue but was not transported, May said. There were no injuries reported.
The Bay Area Chapter of the American Red Cross will assess the needs of the 10 families who were displaced, May said.
As of publication time, the fire's cause was still under investigation and no damage estimate was available, May said.
In the morning, the street was busy with residents, neighbors and workers making repairs as well as police and firefighters.
By the afternoon, the Red Cross had joined them.
The resident who described waking up to his neighbors shouting and his home on fire said he had lost everything in the blaze.
He said he had left his bedroom door open, which allowed the fire to get inside. Other units had less damage.
"Only God knows why these things happen, right?" he said. "Either way, it's just about pushing on, giving it your all and starting over."
Ariel Nava contributed reporting to this story.
