Apartment bldg on fire Saturday

More than a half-dozen fire and ambulance vehicles were called to a fire Saturday at an apartment on Arcadia Avenue where a family of five lived below an apartment with another family of five with two parakeets. Both familes were displaced but no one was hurt.

On Saturday, September 14, 2013, at 6:08 p.m., Arcadia Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire in the 800 block of Arcadia Avenue. Engine 105, Engine 106, Truck 105, Rescue Ambulance 106, and Battalion 105 responded to the scene, with assistance from Monrovia, Pasadena, and Los Angeles County Fire Departments.

Suppression personnel reported a two-story 17 unit apartment complex with smoke and fire inside a ground floor three-bedroom unit. Firefighters immediately began suppression measures, including search and rescue operations. Firefighters extinguished the flames within 15 minutes, achieving knock down shortly before 6:30 p.m. Due to their swift and effective suppression efforts, firefighters contained the fire to the room of origin.

Although the fire remains under investigation at this time, preliminary findings indicate the fire to be accidental in nature caused by an electrical malfunction. The fire loss is estimated to be $70,000; with $40,000 damage to the structure and $30,000 in content loss.

The occupants of the damaged unit, a family of five, were not at home at the time of the incident but have been displaced due to smoke, fire and water damage. Additionally, a family of five with two pet parakeets, in the apartment directly above the damaged unit, was also displaced due to high carbon monoxide levels inside their apartment. Representatives from the American Red Cross are assisting the displaced families with accommodations.

Neither firefighters nor civilians were injured during this incident.