3-Alarm Fire Torches Antioch Apartment Complex
ANTIOCH (BCN) -- Twenty-five people were displaced early Tuesday morning when a three-alarm fire broke out in an apartment complex in Antioch, a spokeswoman with the American Red Cross said.
The fire was reported at 3:52 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 2800 block of Gentrytown Drive, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
When firefighters arrived, they found four units on fire at one building in the complex and flames spreading to two adjacent buildings.
Broken gas lines made fighting the fire more difficult, but firefighters were able to control it by 4:44 a.m., according to the fire district.
Two people suffered minor injuries in the fire.
Seven apartments were damaged in the blaze, leaving 15 adults and 10 children temporarily homeless, Red Cross spokeswoman Melanie Finke said. The fire district estimated the damage to property and contents to be about $300,000.
Some of the families were able to move into empty units in the apartment complex that had not been damaged in the fire, but four families are being put up in hotels, Finke said.
The Red Cross also gave each family basic toiletries, blankets, clothing and money for food. Each child was given a stuffed animal.
The Red Cross will continue to work with the families and the building owner to find permanent alternative housing for the families and to help them get back on their feet, Finke said.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation this afternoon, according to the fire district.
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