‘We’re alive': West Berkeley fire victims grateful despite losing homes
Tenants look for new housing after predawn West Berkeley fire
Tenants are looking for a new place to live after being displaced by an early-morning fire that damaged two West Berkeley apartment buildings.
BERKELEY, Calif. - Tenants displaced by a predawn fire in West Berkeley said Thursday they are without permanent housing but grateful they escaped without injury.
"I don’t want to think about being angry or frustrated," said Jesus Cardenas, a plumber. "I’m trying to come up with solutions."
Cardenas is planning for his family’s immediate future after the fire near Ninth Street and Channing Way left their two-story apartment building uninhabitable.
"I’m very happy that nobody got hurt. My family, everybody’s fine. All my neighbors got out in time," Cardenas said. "No injuries, that’s the best thing that can happen."
Tenants rousted awake
What we know:
Six families were displaced by the fire, which broke out about 2:50 a.m. Tuesday. Flames also spread to a neighboring apartment building, damaging several units there.
The building where the fire started is now boarded up. Some units have been red-tagged, while others were yellow-tagged, indicating limited damage but issues such as a lack of electricity. Charred belongings sit outside.
On Thursday, crews from a fire-damage restoration company worked to secure the property.
10 Berkeley families displaced from homes after overnight apartment fire
The Berkeley Fire Department said it received a call just before 3 a.m. reporting a fire at a building on the 2300 block of Ninth Street.
A Berkeley Fire Department crew also surveyed the damage. A department spokeswoman said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Another tenant, Andrea Garcia, told KTVU that her family, including her 12-year-old daughter, is now searching for a new home.
"Thankfully, family members were able to take in my daughter and my dog, so they’re OK," Garcia said. "But her dad and myself are couch-surfing at the moment."
Despite the hardship, she too, is counting her blessing.
"I’m thankful we’re alive. We’re not harmed. We all made it out," Garcia said. "But we’re homeless."
Neighbor sets up fund for victims
What you can do:
Maryann O’Sullivan, who lives across the street, started a GoFundMe to help the displaced families.
"I didn’t realize it until they were gone, how much they feel like part of my life," O’Sullivan said."I don’t think every family lost everything, but some people literally lost everything. So we thought, what can we do? You want to do something."
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Cardenas and his family are staying with neighbors while searching for another apartment.
"We don’t know what we can recover," he said. "Right now, I’m taking it day by day."
Henry Lee is a KTVU reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: KTVU reporting, Berkeley Fire Department