SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) — Dozens of people are displaced and eight people were injured after a massive fire tore through a San Rafael apartment building early Thursday morning.
Two people are currently missing, the fire department says.
The fire forced some people to jump in the canal neighboring the building.
The fire broke out just after 5:30 a.m. at the building on Canal Street not far from Highway 101 and right along the San Rafael Creek.
Police say a large fire that gutted an apartment building in San Rafael has displaced 50 residents, and eight people are injured, one seriously, after jumping from the complex into the canal.
Apartment buildings on either side of the fire scene were evacuated.
Police say that eight injuries were been reported, one of them serious but non-life-threatening.
The fire department is asking that if you are one of the two people they are searching for, please contact them. They say it’s possible those people were just elsewhere during the fire.
When crews got to the scene, they were told that residents were trapped and were jumping from the back of the apartment complex into the canal.
The one person seriously injured was one of the people who jumped into the canal, according to SRPD Sgt. Justin Graham. They were immediately transported to the hospital. Two other people were transported to the hospital with non-serious injuries, and the other people with minor injuries were treated on scene and released.
Officials say everyone is accounted for, but 50 people are now displaced and the Red Cross is on scene.
Along with a county-wide response, the San Rafael Fire Boat also responded up the canal and helped fight the fire from the water.
Some residents also heard popping noises during the fire, which fire officials say is typical with electrical lines failing.
Craig Ponsford, who lives in a neighboring building, says he woke up to a living nightmare.
“We saw the whole canal glowing, and we were hearing people saying ‘Jump!’ and hearing explosions,” he said.
Martin Hanson says he’s the building’s on-site manager and has lived there for 25 years. He said he woke up to the commotion and had to think fast.
“I saw the embers and flames coming on down,” Hanson said. “So I grabbed some cash and headed out.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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