6 rescued from Berkeley apartment building fire, treated for smoke inhalation
BERKELEY -- Firefighters in Berkeley rescued at least six residents from the third floor of a burning apartment building on Berkeley Way early Monday evening, authorities said.
Berkeley police and fire units responded for a structure fire to a residential apartment building in the 1300 block of Berkeley Way, between West Street and Acton Street at around 4:45 p.m. Firefighters quickly worked to contain the fire and commenced rescue operations for residents.
Flames and heavy black smoke could be seen coming from second floor windows of the building, police said. Authorities were able to confirm that there were a number of people on the third floor in need of rescue, with a number of them leaning out of top-floor windows to get out of the smoke.
"When the fire department arrived, they were able to rescue the people on the top floor and put out the fire," said Berkeley police spokesperson Byron White. "From what we could tell, the injuries were minor to moderate. But certainly a scary experience when you're trapped by fire."
White said at least six people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene and noted that several of those individuals elected to go to the hospital.
The 1300 block of Berkeley Way and the adjacent blocks of Acton and West were closed to non-emergency traffic due to the fire response. The 1300 block of University Avenue was also closed.
Residents were asked to avoid the area to minimize traffic impact. The cause of the fire is under investigation.