Six people, among them two firefighters and a police officer, were injured and seven residents were displaced by a two-alarm fire that caused $325,000 in damage at an apartment complex for the disabled in City Heights early Tuesday, authorities said.
The 41 residents of the three-story complex on Menlo Avenue near Orange Avenue were evacuated after one of them caused the fire by smoking while using an oxygen tank around 3:15 a.m., said San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Lee Swanson.
"The apartment building is a home for disabled persons," Swanson said. "Many of the residents needed assistance from firefighters and police officers to evacuate."
The fire burned one unit, caused smoke damage to two others and left four apartments with broken glass or water damage, Swanson said. The American Red Cross was summoned to assist seven residents and their pets with temporary lodging.
Three residents, a firefighter and a police officer suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to a hospital along with a firefighter who sustained a minor burn injury, Swanson said. Three other residents were treated at the scene, but did not go to the hospital.
The blaze was knocked down in about 20 minutes. Swanson said it caused an estimated $325,000 in damage to the building and its contents.
The fire broke out less than a mile away from another apartment complex that was damaged in a fire Monday night.
