Elderly San Jose residents flee 3-alarm inferno

A three-alarm fire raced through a San Jose senior apartment complex early Monday, slightly injuring five residents as the flames destroyed four units and damaged others, authorities said.

San Jose fire Capt. Mike Van Elgort said firefighters responded to reports of the fire near the corner of Madden Avenue and North Capitol Avenue at 1:45 a.m.

When they arrived, they found much of the second floor completely engulfed in flames and many terrified residents outside the building.

It took nearly 60 firefighters to get the blaze under control.

Five residents of the building were treated for injuries including minor burns, but no one was seriously injured, Van Elgort said.

Van Elgort said that he was grateful that no one was fatally injured.

"A large fire in an apartment complex especially in the middle of the night is always a dangerous situation," he said.

The fire caused between $600,000 and $750,000 in damage, Van Elgort said.

He said the fire displaced 16 residents, who were being assisted with temporary shelter by the Red Cross.

Firefighters said the fire was an accident were looking into whether a floor or space heater could have caused the devastation.