Oakland firefighters control 3-alarm fire at apartment building

OAKLAND — A three-alarm fire early Monday in the downtown area burned a five-story apartment building and forced the evacuation of all the residents, fire officials said.

Firefighters were first called about 7 a.m. in the 1700 block of Broadway, near 19th Street, according to Oakland fire spokesperson Michael Hunt. About 50 firefighters were at the scene.

Fire crews were able to evacuate the building of all its residents, Battalion Chief Damon Covington of the Oakland Fire Department said. Three residents were treated for smoke inhalation but nobody went to a hospital, he said.

Covington said a quick arrival by crews kept the fire from spreading to more of the building. Crews got the fire under control “in a very, very timely manner,” Covington told a media gathering at the site.

“Anytime we have to go above ground, it requires extra resources and coordination of those resources, and the main thing is getting people out of harm’s way,” Covington said. “Fortunately in the downtown area, we have a lot of resources, so we were able to get here quickly.”

Some people in the building got out on their own and others were escorted by fire crews.

Authorities closed down traffic from 17th Street to 20th Street on Broadway. Smoke could be seen rising from Interstates 880 and 980.

BART closed its entrance at 19th Street and Broadway to the 19th Street Oakland station. The station remained open.

Please check back for updates.