Dozen Kentfield apartments damaged by fire; firefighters rescue woman
KENTFIELD, Calif. (KGO) -- In Marin County, a fire erupted at a Kentfield apartment complex on Kent Avenue Wednesday. One man actually had to jump from a bedroom window and a woman had to be rescued from a balcony.
The fire spread very quickly from one side of the building to the other and arson investigators are on the scene, but that is routine. The American Red Cross said eight people who could not stay inside their apartment are now being housed at local hotels.
Lorick Shoket had a huge bruise on his check after he was forced to jump from his bedroom window in order to escape the fire. He said, "I just opened the door to the living room and it was all smoke. I couldn't see anything. I grabbed my pants and [dove out of] the window."
He landed on his hands and knees, hitting his face on the pavement.
Resident Patricia Goff said the fire spread so quickly there was little time to react. She said, "When I tried to open the door, the smoke just bellowed in and I could already feel the heat underneath my feet."
She was later taken to the hospital to be checked.
Greg Brown shared some photos with us that show the firefighters trying to contain the blaze.
One neighbor had to be rescued from a balcony because the stairwell was full of smoke and flames.
A small dog was alone in the house when firefighters found it. The dog's owner was at work.
Shoket's apartment was the only one completely destroyed while the others were somewhat affected.
"I think there's 12-14 units in this building so right now we have 12-14 units of displaced residents," Kentfield battalion chief Michael Hadfield said.
Shoket was eventually escorted inside his unit to retrieve valuables. Being a chain smoker, he went for his cigarettes, but that wasn't the only think he got. He said, "Cash, my cash. I have $5,000 cash left. Nothing to hide, I didn't steal it."
He says he has a son he can stay with. Others have friends who can put them up for now.
It's unknown how the fire started.
