Fire Rips Through Peninsula Apartment, Two Displaced: Fire Officials

BELMONT, CA – A Peninsula couple was displaced from their home on Monday when a fire ripped through their Belmont apartment, fire officials report. One other apartment unit was also damaged in the incident.

According to Belmont Police Capt. Patrick Halleran, the fire was first reported around 8:35 a.m. in the 1600 block of 5th Avenue. Belmont firefighters, along with personnel from the San Mateo, Foster City and San Carlos fire departments all responded to the scene.

"Upon arrival, first responders found heavy smoke coming from an apartment on the second story of an apartment complex," Halleran said in a news release.

Crews managed to get the fire confined to the apartment in which it started and extinguished within about 20 minutes, Halleran said.

"The apartment where the fire occurred was determined to be uninhabitable and an adjacent apartment sustained smoke damage," the captain said. "The residents of both apartments were at work at the time of the fire and both couples are being assisted by the Red Cross."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

– Photos courtesy: Belmont Fire Department