Oakland building fire displaces 16 residents

More than a dozen residents of an Oakland apartment building were displaced when their units were damaged in a fire early Sunday, authorities said.

Firefighters responded around 3:45 a.m. to the blaze at 3814 39th Avenue near MacArthur Boulevard, said Oakland Fire Battalion Chief James Bowron.

Fourteen adults and two children were displaced. Six units in total were damaged — two by fire, two by smoke and two by water, Bowron said. The building has about 40 apartment units.

One woman, who was not immediately identified, was taken to a hospital for treatment of a condition that Bowron said was not related to the fire.

“She was having chest pains, so it could be secondary from seeing the fire,” he said. “She was not a burn victim.”

No other injuries were reported.

Residents were already evacuating the three-story structure when firefighters arrived. One man jumped from a second-story window and landed on the front lawn of the building. Bowron said the man was not injured.

The apartments that sustained damage from the fire will have to be “completely rebuilt,” Bowron said, but the other residents could be back in their homes quickly, depending on “how fast the landlord decides to move.”

Bowron said firefighters were working with PG&E to restore power for the remaining residents.

The blaze was extinguished within about 45 minutes, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Bowron said.