1 dead in apartment fire near Oakland's Lake Merritt

OAKLAND, Calif. -- An Oakland man was pronounced dead after firefighters pulled him from his burning apartment just east of Lake Merritt Tuesday morning, a fire battalion chief said.

The fire at 635 E. 15th St. was reported at 10:50 a.m., according to a fire dispatcher.

Firefighters found light smoke coming from the apartment building when they arrived and a fire burning in one of the apartments, acting fire Battalion Chief Dino Torres said.

As firefighters moved into the burning apartment, they found an unresponsive 58-year-old man in a front room of the apartment. They pulled him from the burning building but he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The fire was burning in the bedroom of the apartment. Firefighters contained the fire there and had it under control in about 18 minutes, Torres said.

No other residents of the apartment building were displaced and the fire damage was contained to the single unit, Torres said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.