Apartment complex fire displaces eight people near Lake Merritt

A fire at an apartment building north of Lake Merritt in Oakland on Tuesday morning left eight people displaced, a fire spokesman said.

The blaze was reported at 7:53 a.m. at the building at 425 Lee St. and crews arrived to see smoke and flames coming out of the third floor of the structure, Oakland fire spokesman Charleton Lightfoot said.

The fire was controlled in about 30 minutes with no injuries reported. Oakland police officers who arrived at the scene first were able to help some of the building’s residents get out safely, Lightfoot said.

Five adults and three children have been displaced as a result of the fire, he said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.