Fire from Malfunctioning Pool Heater Caused Estimated $40K in Damages

Firefighters extinguished a one-alarm fire at an apartment complex in Alameda today, a fire captain said. Fire crews responded at 9:42 a.m. to the 2400 block of Shoreline Drive on a report of a fire in an apartment building, Capt. James Colburn said.

Arriving firefighters found flames coming from the rear of a three-story apartment building with smoke showing on the second and third floors and on the roof, Colburn said. Colburn said the fire was coming from a utility room on the first floor.

A total of 23 firefighters responded and Colburn said fire crews were able to contain the blaze to the single room, with some damage to the room above it, which Colburn said is another utility room. No one was displaced by the blaze, Colburn said. The residents of the apartment building were in the process of evacuating when firefighters arrived, but Colburn said there were no injuries reported. Colburn said investigators determined the cause of the fire was a malfunctioning pool heater and that the fire extended to other combustible components in the room.

He estimated there was roughly $40,000 in damage, including the structure and the contents in the room.

By Bay City News

Photo courtesy Alameda Fire