Investigation under way into cause of Lakeport apartment building fire
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Firefighters and police remained throughout the night Sunday and into early Monday at the scene of a fire that damaged one of the city of Lakeport’s oldest apartment buildings, displaced all of the tenants and sent two police officers to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire at the Bel Aire Apartments at 1125 N. Main St. was first reported in the two-story apartment building at around 6:20 p.m. Sunday, as Lake County News has reported.
Video of the fire shot by veterinarian Chris Holmes showed flames shooting out of the windows on the south top story.
Arriving ahead of firefighters were Lakeport Police Officers Tyler Trouette and Mark Steele.
The two officers ran into the building to begin evacuating residents, despite not having any of the protective apparatus that firefighters have, said Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
“They’re not going to sit out here and let people burn up,” said Rasmussen, who noted his officers have increasingly found themselves responding to – and even helping put out – fires.
Rasmussen said the apartment building’s residents safely evacuated.
The two officers were later taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. Rasmussen said both were cleared and are fine. They were to take the rest of the night off and return for their next shift.
Meanwhile, other officers, command staff and a police volunteer assisted with securing the scene and interviewing witnesses.
In addition to Lakeport Fire and Lakeport Police, Kelseyville Fire, Northshore Fire, Cal Fire, Red Cross, Pacific Gas and Electric and city of Lakeport staff were part of the response to the incident.
The fire had been reported by Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison as knocked down just after 7 p.m.
However, about an hour later, the fire reignited on the roof at the back center of the building, Rasmussen said.
The reignited portion of the fire appeared to have been put out before 9 p.m.
Hutchison explained that the fire ran the roof through two separate spaces. Firefighters thought they had the fire out in the roof initially but there was another roof space above where they had been working where the fire began to burn. That meant they had to get on top of the roof to get it under control.
A Lakeport Fire ladder truck was used to access the north side of the building’s top story. Throughout the night, after the fire was out, firefighters scaled the ladder to get on top of the building to continue overhaul and mop up.
Firefighters with flashlights inspected the top stories of the building and continued to make sure that the fire was out, using hoses to shoot water through the interior roof spaces, which resulted in small fountains of water shooting out the back of the roof.
While only the top south story appeared to be gutted, Hutchison said there was likely water damage and other fire-related damage throughout the rest of the building.
Hutchison said there were about eight to 10 apartments in the building, all of which were evacuated until further notice, with power to the building shut off.
Hutchison didn’t have a number available for how many people had been displaced.
Red Cross responded to provide temporary housing assistance. Those residents who have been affected by the fire and are in need of assistance can call the Red Cross at 707-832-5482.
Hutchison said his agency had not received any reports of code issues with the building, and under fire code are only allowed to inspect common areas in apartment buildings, not the apartments themselves.
He said the fire’s cause is under investigation.
Along with city fire and police, city officials also were on scene, including City Manager Margaret Silveira and Building Official Tom Carlton. They made outreach to the building’s owner, who lives in Sebastopol, and police were planning to monitor the building while it was being boarded up overnight.
Carlton and other city officials didn’t have information as to the age of the apartment building, which has an Art Deco-type exterior, but reader Don Lange said he believed the building – originally the Kuppinger apartments – were built in the late 1930s or the early 1940s.
“Sometime between 1958 and 1960 when I was on the fire department as a volunteer there was a fire in the opposite wing upper front unit where there was one person who perished,” Lange posted on Lake County News’ Facebook page.
Hutchison terminated incident command just before 11:45 p.m., leaving one engine on scene throughout the night for fire watch.
While firefighters remained at the scene, several blocks of N. Main Street, 11th Street and Clearlake Avenue had been blocked off with detours in place.
The Lakeport Police Department said late Sunday night that street closures were to remain in effect until sometime after daylight on Monday in the area of N. Forbes Street between Clearlake Avenue and Main Street, as well as Main Street between 11th Street and Clearlake Avenue.
Police said businesses will be allowed to open, however parking on Main Street will not be permitted in the closed area. Guests of the Skylark Shores motel across from the apartments will need to use the Clearlake Avenue entrance.
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