Fire Near Piedmont Causes Heavy Damage

Bay City News—Firefighters extinguished a two-alarm fire Monday that damaged eight apartments and displaced about forty residents of a four-story building in Oakland, a battalion chief said.

The fire at 86 Linda Ave., near Piedmont, was reported at 5:35 p.m. and a second alarm was called at 6:12 p.m., Battalion Chief William Towner said.

The fire possibly started in the garage area of the 38-unit building, and spread to three floors through a vertical shaft in the building. Eight units were affected in total, and six sustained moderate to heavy fire damage, Towner said. Some water lines had burst because of the heat of the fire.

The fire was under control at 7:19 p.m. and because the electric, gas and water was shut off, the building was left uninhabitable. Some of the apartments were unoccupied, but a total of 40 to 45 residents were displaced.

Most found their own accommodations, Towner said, but six to eight people were assisted by the Red Cross. A total of 43 fire personnel, eight engines, two trucks and two battalion chiefs responded to the blaze. The cause is under investigation, Towner said.

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