Colton Fire Department - Apartment Fire - 3-31-13

(PE.com)Sixteen families were left homeless when a fire badly damaged eight Colton apartments and filled eight others with smoke, city fire officials said. The flames were reported at 11:58 p.m. Saturday, March 30, in a 16-unit apartment building at 1315 Meadow Lane. Paramedics checked one person for smoke inhalation, but no hospitalization was required. The fire began in a second-story apartment and climbed into the attic, where it spread to three additional apartments, Engineer Tom DeBellis said. Three first-floor units also were badly damaged. “There was smoke throughout all (16) of the apartments,” DeBellis said. Fire crews from San Bernardino County and the cities of San Bernardino, Redlands and Loma Linda helped battle the flames, which were extinguished in about 45 minutes. American Red Cross volunteers were summoned to find temporary housing and other help for the displaced residents. The cause of the fire and a damage estimate hadn’t been determined by Sunday evening.

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