Fremont apartment fire displaces 53 residents

A one-alarm fire Friday night at a Fremont apartment complex displaced 53 people, fire officials said, but no injuries were reported.

The blaze at the Waterstone Apartments, 39639 Leslie St., was reported about 8:30 p.m. and when firefighters arrived, nothing was visible from the outside, according to Fremont fire spokeswoman Aisha Knowles.

They found fire inside, coming from a unit on the third floor of the four-story building, and forced their way in to make sure no residents were inside.

Crews extinguished the fire while safely evacuating the building.

The second and third floors were significantly damaged due to a large volume of water from the sprinkler system, fire officials said. The sprinklers were shut down in an effort to minimize the damage.

The electrical system could not be re-energized due to water damage, making the apartment building uninhabitable, Knowles said.

The 44 adults and 9 children displaced were either assisted by the building’s manager or were making their own arrangements.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The blaze was confined to one unit, although other apartments sustained smoke and/or water damage.