By Mike Hazlip—
A fire broke out at a large apartment complex on Greenback lane Thursday afternoon, displacing residents in four units.
Sacramento Metro Fire Capt. Chris Vestal said a call came in just before 3 p.m., reporting a fire in a second story unit of The Meadows apartment complex. Crews arrived on-scene and immediately began evacuating nearby units, he said.
No injuries to residents were reported, but a dog in the unit was killed and one firefighter injured his foot during the incident, Vestal said.
Heavy damage could be seen to the balcony of a second floor unit, and three nearby trees showed signs of scorching.
The fire spread to the attic before crews were able to knock down the flames. Vestal said one unit was directly involved, but a total of four units are uninhabitable as a result of smoke damage.
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Authorities are working with apartment management to determine how many residents will be displaced, according to Vestal.
Helen Sone said she has lived at The Meadows since about 1980 and shares an adjoining unit with the one in which the fire started. She said another neighbor offered to let her stay with him until she can return to her unit. Sone said she was displaced in another fire two years ago, but considers herself fortunate.
The cause is under investigation, according to authorities. Multiple residents in neighboring units said no one was home at the time the fire broke out.
Resident Zachary Phillips said he teaches middle school and was hosting an online class when the fire broke out. Phillips said crews responded quickly, and he estimated about 10 trucks arrived in roughly three minutes.
Vestal said the standard response for a commercial structure fire was dispatched to the incident: with five engines, three truck companies, and one ambulance.
The Meadows is located near a fire station at Greenback Lane and Burich Avenue. Vestal said several volunteers in the area provided additional support.
“We had an off-duty firefighter who was on scene prior to any of our on duty crews who actually started getting people out of some of the adjacent units,” Vestal said. “It reminds us that we’re never off duty.”
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