Riverside Apartment Fire Displaces 150 Residents, Damaging 50 Units Near UC Riverside
Updated
Updated · The Press-Enterprise · May 29
Riverside Apartment Fire Displaces 150 Residents, Damaging 50 Units Near UC Riverside
8 articles · Updated · The Press-Enterprise · May 29
Firefighters said 50 of 120 units at University Riverside Gardens Apartments were affected after flames tore through the roof Friday, forcing 150 residents out and prompting a full evacuation.
Just after 11 a.m., crews found much of the two-story building heavily involved, with thick black smoke and breaking glass; they later shifted to a defensive attack and called for more water trucks.
No injuries were reported, and relief operations were set up at Bordwell Park as the Red Cross was asked to help residents who could not return to their units.
Students were among those displaced at the privately owned complex less than a half-mile from UC Riverside, and the university said it was identifying affected students and arranging basic support.
A later update said the blaze was accidentally started by a contractor, while firefighters also rescued eight pets from the complex.
Was the catastrophic Riverside fire a simple accident, or a symptom of a wider student housing safety crisis?
With billions spent on firefighting, why do preventable contractor errors still lead to mass displacement in California?