Man Who Died In Oakland Apartment Complex Fire Identified
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A man who was killed in a fire at a four-story apartment complex in Oakland early Wednesday morning was identified by the affordable housing nonprofit that operates it as 75-year-old Mohammad Alikhani.
Alikhani had lived at the building at 401 Fairmount Avenue, near Interstate Highway 580, for nearly two years, according to Susan Friedland, the executive director of Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, which operates the complex.
Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Ian McWhorter said a call came in at 3:54 a.m. of a fire burning at the building and the victim was found on the stairwell outside their top-floor apartment.
"It was a very intense fire," he said.
One other person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
Fire crews were able to contain the fire to the unit the blaze started in but the unit below it suffered extensive water damage that displaced two people, McWhorter said.
The Red Cross was called to help those displaced, he said.
Oakland fire Acting Battalion Chief Howard Holt said late Wednesday that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Friedland said in an email, "The fire department is in the process of determining the exact cause of the fire, which started in the living room."
She said, "All fire systems at the building operated properly and the fire department responded heroically and stopped the fire from spreading."