Residents escape apartment complex blaze

Sunday’s three-alarm fire the latest in a series of Eureka blazes

Humboldt Sentinel staff
7/6/09

Eureka

Residents of an apartment complex escaped without injury after a three-alarm fire broke out in a second story unit last night, with the cause still under investigation.

At 9:21 p.m., Eureka Fire Department and Humboldt Fire District personnel responded to the report from 2979 Union Street of an apartment fire, and due to the potential for significant damage to the entire complex, additional local personnel and mutual aid engines from Arcata, Loleta and Blue Lake were also called to the scene.

With two hoselines brought to bear, firefighters brought the blaze under control and extinguished it without injury to themselves, although the fire damaged two apartments directly, caused water damage to a downstairs apartment and clouded the entire second floor with smoke.

As the apartment building was not inhabitable immediately following the fire, Humboldt County Red Cross also responded to help displaced victims locate temporary housing.

The Eureka Fire Department has had several residential structure fires in the past two weeks and urges community members to check for working smoke detectors inside their homes.

Anyone with information on the cause of the fire can contact EFD fire captain Chris Jelinek at (707) 441-4000 or cjelinek@ci.eureka.ca.gov.