Twelve displaced in Oakland apartment fire

Twelve people, including nine adults and three children, were displaced after a two-alarm fire burned an apartment in Oakland this afternoon, a fire official said.

Battalion Chief Lisa Baker said firefighters responded at 4:05 p.m. to a report of a fire at International Boulevard and 53rd Avenue.

Fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the second floor of the two-story building and called a second alarm to assist in battling the blaze, Baker said.

The building houses a business on the ground floor and three apartments on the second, she said.

She said all twelve residents made it out safely before fire crews arrived:

“The reason for the second alarm was we didn’t know how many people were occupying the apartments when the fire broke out.”

There were no injuries reported, she said.

The fire was contained to one of the upstairs apartments, but Baker said the cause is still under investigation.

The firefighters were able to douse the blaze within half an hour, she said.

One apartment was damaged by the fire and the two others sustained serious smoke damage, while a downstairs business sustained minor water damage, Baker said.

She estimated it would cost $175,000 to repair the damages.

Baker said the American Red Cross was called to assist in finding emergency housing for the 12 people displaced by the fire.