Kitchen fire at apartment complex displaces 20 residents

NEWARK, Calif. -- Alameda County firefighters responded to a second alarm fire at an apartment building which displaced 20 residents in Newark late Monday night, a fire dispatcher said.

The fire at a two-story apartment complex in the 37000 block of Cherry Street was reported at 10:04 p.m., according to the Alameda County Fire Department. Alameda County Fire Department spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said the fire began when a cooking pot was left unattended on the stove and caught fire, completely destroying one unit and leaving another unit with significant damage.

ABC7 News reporter Alan Wang spoke to the tenants who live in the unit where the fire started. A woman was in tears and said she, her husband, and their granddaughter were at the store when it happened. They were all OK, but everything inside was destroyed including their pet bird.

"Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire billowing out of the windows and through the roof of two units on the second floor," Knowles said.

The second-alarm response included seven fire engines, two fire trucks and one heavy rescue vehicle. Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control about 25 minutes after responding to the scene, Knowles said.

The American Red Cross was on site to assist six adults who were displaced by the fire and offered additional assistance to a total of 20 people displaced due to the lack of electricity in the apartment building, Knowles said.

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