By Khalida Sarwari and Scott Morris
The Silicon Valley chapter of the American Red Cross assisted 16 residents who were displaced, including five who were hospitalized, by a three-alarm blaze at a senior housing complex in San Jose early this morning.
The fire completely destroyed four units of the eight-unit building, and left the other apartments with smoke and fire damage, said San Jose fire Capt. Mike Van Elgort.
Firefighters responded at 1:45 a.m. to reports of a fire at the Mayfair Golden Manor, located at 2627 Madden Ave.
When they arrived, firefighters found that the fire had already spread to multiple floors of the building, Van Elgort said.
Firefighters controlled the fire by 3 a.m.
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.
The Red Cross provided six displaced families with food, clothing, and emotional support, said spokeswoman Cynthia Shaw. She said the Red Cross additionally provided one family with temporary housing.
Veronica Lopez, the facility’s operations manager, said two of the damaged units appear salvageable.
She said some of the residents, who are primarily seniors, were distressed by the blaze, but that the displaced occupants would be accommodated.
“We’re like a family here,” Lopez said. “They know we’re going to take care of them here.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Capt. Mary Gutierrez said this afternoon.
