Crews extinguish 1-alarm fire in downtown Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. -- No one was injured in a one-alarm fire at a building in downtown Oakland Friday that was controlled less than half an hour after it was reported, Oakland fire Battalion Chief Coy Justice said.

The fire at Webster and 13th streets was reported at 12:27 p.m. Friday and was controlled at 12:53 p.m., Justice said.

Most of the damage was confined to a business on the building's first floor that was undergoing renovation, he said.

There also was smoke damage to one apartment unit on the second floor of the seven-floor building, according to Justice.

Although there are many apartment units in the building, the structure didn't have to be evacuated because most residents weren't at home at the time of the blaze, he said.

It's difficult to estimate how much damage was done to the business on the first floor because that area already was messy because it was undergoing renovation, Justice said.

A preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was caused by a cigarette that was left smoldering, he said.