Apartment complex fire near UC Riverside destroys 50 units
By Julie Sharp, Austin Turner, Dean Fioresi
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RIVERSIDE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Riverside fire crews battled flames at a large apartment complex near UC Riverside on Friday afternoon, with officials saying as many as 50 units were destroyed after a contractor accidentally started the blaze.
Aerial views on Friday afternoon show that flames spread throughout the large, sprawling University Riverside Gardens Apartments at 2996 Iowa Avenue. UC Riverside staff said the apartment complex is not owned or operated by the university, but students do live there.
The Riverside Fire Department said about 150 people were displaced as a result. Firefighters saved 62 units from destruction, the department said, but it’s unclear when those tenants will be allowed to return home.
Crews from Riverside city and county departments responded, tackling flames as they consumed much of the complex. Ontario Fire and Riverside County Cal Fire crews also responded.
Firefighters believe a contractor accidentally started the fire in the attic when they were working on a pipe that turned hot. Without fire stops in the attic, the fire quickly spread through the building.
“Water tower operations are up to put as much water on this fire as we can,” said Riverside City Fire Department Division Chief Jeff White. “The type of what we call a garden-style apartment, that open attic space that can run across, around the entire building, allows the fire to spread unchecked if there wasn’t any type of fire suppression system within the attic system.”
Evacuations were quickly executed, and the American Red Cross has been requested to assist displaced people at the complex.
UC Riverside said the property is not owned or operated by the university, but that “the university is working to determine how many UCR students reside at that location and provide resources and basic needs.”
School officials said they were conducting outreach to students affected by the fire to ensure they had the proper support. They urged anyone else to contact UCR Basic Needs at 951-827-3663 or housingsupport@ucr.edu.
No injuries or rescues are reported.
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