Fire Damages Central Avenue Apartment Building

A kitchen fire at an apartment building on Central Avenue this afternoon (Thursday) caused plenty of smoke but relatively minor damage to the building, according to an Alameda Fire Department spokesperson.

No firefighters or civilians were injured in the 2:44 p.m. fire at the Park Alameda, 2428 Central Ave., Capt. James Colburn said. The building is at the corner of Central and Park Avenue.

The fire in a second-floor studio apartment had been extinguished by the building's sprinkler system when firefighters arrived, but the unit was still filled with smoke, Colburn said.

The apartment's occupant, an adult man, was still in the unit and was brought outside by firefighters he said. The man was not injured.

Some residents were already leaving the building when the first fire trucks arrived, and others were evacuated by firefighters.

Colburn said that fire damage was limited to the apartment where the blaze started, but water from the sprinkler system damaged that unit and two neighboring apartments. Firefighters removed as much water as possible with vacuum equipment and squeegees, he said.

Fire and water damage is estimated at $7,500 to the building and $2,500 to the contents of the residential unit. 

Colburn said it's likely that damage would have been much more extensive if the sprinkler system hadn't activated.

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