Seniors rescued from 4-alarm Oakland apartment building fire; 3 hospitalized

OAKLAND -- Firefighters rescued a number of people at a four-alarm fire burning Friday morning at a senior living apartment building in Oakland next to Interstate Highway 580.

The fire was burning at Grand Lake Gardens Apartments, a mulitple-story facility at 401 Santa Clara Avenue in the Grand Lake neighborhood.

The Oakland Fire Department said the call came in at 5:51 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire on the 5th floor of the building.

Oakland Fire Chief Reginald Freeman said a resident from a fifth-floor unit told firefighters a power strip was sparking and set a couch on fire, prompting the resident to flee. He said the quick actions by arriving firefighters saved residents' lives.

"She left the apartment and the door was open when she left her apartment," said Freeman. "Upon our arrival, that apartment was fully involved in fire and the fire had spread into the hallways. If it were not for the quick actions of our Oakland firefighters, this would have turned out to be a very, very devastating day for the city of Oakland."

Freeman said the last time the building was inspected was Oct. 7 and that everything was in order.

Firefighters rescued 85 people from the building, including nine hanging off balconies. Three seniors were taken to an area hospital and may have suffered smoke inhalation, Oakland fire spokesperson Michael Hunt said. One firefighter also suffered minor injuries.

"My bathroom room floor was largely wet and the kitchen floor was wet," said 84-year-old evacuee Elizabeth Porter.  "One of the firefighters accompanied me down the stairs."

She said parts of her first-floor unit had a quarter inch of water.

"Nobody likes to be a refugee but here we are," Porter said.

The fire was under control as of 7:28 a.m., according to an Oakland firefighters union Twitter account. The Grand Ave. offramp from westbound Highway 580 was shut down as as firefighters worked the scene.

In a statement to KPIX, a spokesman for the Grand Lakes Gardens apartments, a spokesperson claimed no residents were injured, and the hospitalizations were a precautionary measure. Other displaced residents were taken to a nearby sister property.

"Residents have been transported to our Piedmont Gardens community in Oakland, and we are working on housing plans for this evening," said Edie Burge, spokesperson for senior living fim HumanGood.  "We do not know the exact length of displacement at this time. The cause of the fire is under investigation."