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3 injured, 40 displaced after North Highlands apartment fire

3 injured, 40 displaced after North Highlands apartment fire
NOTIFICATION FOR REAL TIME UPDATES. NOW TO A DEVELOPING STORY IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. THIS IS WHAT’S LEFT OF AN APARTMENT COMPLEX. IT WAS DESTROYED IN A FIRE IN NORTH HIGHLANDS, AND TONIGHT DOZENS OF PEOPLE ARE STAYING IN A HOTEL AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING. THE COMPLEX IS ALONG A STREET JUST OFF OF WATT AVENUE AND WEST OF THE CAPITAL CITY FREEWAY. ONE PERSON WAS INSIDE WHEN THIS HAPPENED, DESCRIBING THE MOMENTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE DEVASTATING FIRE. I BLINKED AND I WAS LAYING IN BED AND I BLINKED AND I WAS PUTTING OUT A FIRE. I BLINKED AGAIN AND I WAS GRABBING EVERYBODY OUT OF THE APARTMENT, AND I BLINKED AGAIN. I WAS I WAS KNOCKING ON DOORS AND IT JUST HAPPENED WITHIN MINUTES. THERE IS STILL NO WORD ON EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THIS FIRE. AND NOW THOSE PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO LIVE. KCRA 3’S PEYTON HEADLEE SPOKE WITH SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED. YEAH, WELL, METRO FIRE SAYS THIS FIRE SPREAD VERY QUICKLY AND THAT THE HEAT WAS SO INTENSE IT BROUGHT DOWN POWER LINES, EVEN MELTED CAR’S TAIL LIGHTS THAT WERE PARKED ACROSS THE STREET. AND IT LEFT DOZENS OF PEOPLE WITHOUT A PLACE TO CALL HOME. A LIVING ROOM, THAT’S OUR COUCH. THIS IS WHAT’S LEFT. THAT’S MY KIDS ROOM RIGHT THERE OF NATHANIEL FIGUEROA’S APARTMENT. ATWATER WATER. AFTER IT CAUGHT FIRE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT. I WAS GETTING IN BED AND I HEARD FIRE. HE DIDN’T WANT TO SHOW HIS FACE, BUT SAYS IT STARTED IN A UNIT ON THE FIRST FLOOR. SO HE RAN DOWN TO HELP. I JUMPED UP AND I TURNED AROUND AND I SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GET OUT. HE SAYS HE TRIED PULLING THINGS OUT OF THE APARTMENT THAT WERE BURNING, BUT THE FLAMES MOVED TOO FAST. THIS BUILDING CAUGHT FIRE LIKE THE BACK OF A BOX OF MATCHES. IT WAS LIKE SOMEBODY POURED GASOLINE IN THERE. IT IN A MATTER OF MINUTES, IT WAS GONE. HE SAYS EVERYONE MADE IT OUT OF THE BUILDING. SOME OF THEM BY JUMPING FROM THE SECOND FLOOR BALCONY. BUT IT TOOK MORE THAN 80 FIREFIGHTERS TO PUT OUT THE FLAMES. BUT THE BUILDING IS A TOTAL LOSS. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY THIS. A LOT OF PEOPLE. FIGUEROA IS ONE OF 40 RESIDENTS LEFT WITHOUT A HOME OR ANYTHING OF HIS OWN. HONESTLY, HE LOST EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. I’VE BEEN ON MY OWN SINCE I WAS 12, SO EVERYTHING I GOT TO WORK FOR ALL OVER AGAIN. WHILE THE RED CROSS AND PROPERTY OWNER ARE HELPING THOSE WHO ARE DISPLACED RIGHT NOW, HE SAYS HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT A LONG TERM SOLUTION WILL LOOK LIKE FOR HIS FAMILY. WE HAVE NO CLOTHES. WE HAVE NO NOTHING. WE HAVE NO MONEY. WE GOT LUCKY TO HAVE A CAR, I MEAN, AND WE GOT LUCKY TO SAVE OUR LIVES. AND WE REACHED OUT TO THE PROPERTY OWNER THIS EVENING. SHE SAYS THEY HAVE CONFIRMED TWO NIGHTS IN A HOTEL FOR THOSE WHO ARE DISPLACED, AND THAT THEY’RE WORKING ON MORE RESOURCES. RED CROSS SAYS THEY EXPECT TO
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3 injured, 40 displaced after North Highlands apartment fire
More than 40 people were displaced after an apartment complex caught fire Tuesday night in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, officials said. Fire crews were dispatched around 11:21 p.m. Tuesday to a property on A Street and Georgia Drive. Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said. All 16 units in one building were damaged with nine having major damage. A second building was evacuated because power lines burned and dropped, leaving the units without power until the Sacramento Municipal Utility District can restore it, Sac Metro Fire said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. KCRA 3 spoke with one of the 40 residents who was displaced. He said he heard people yelling, 'Fire!' just as he was going to bed.“I jumped up and I turned around and I said, you know, 'everybody get out.' I ran towards the banister, looked over and my landlord was putting out a fire,” Nathaniel Figueroa said. “As I ran down to help him put out the fire, it just got worse from there.”He said he tried pulling things that were burning out of the first-floor apartment, like the couch, but the flames moved too fast.“This building caught fire like the back of a box of matches. It was like somebody poured gasoline in there. In a matter of minutes, it was gone,” he said. "A lot of people were affected by this. A lot of people."While the Red Cross and property owner are helping those who are displaced right now, he said he doesn't know what a long-term solution will look like for his family."Honestly, I've lost everything. Everything. I've been on my own since I was 12. So now, everything I got to work for all over again,” Figueroa said. “We have no clothes. We have nothing. We have no money. We got lucky to have a car. I mean, and we got lucky to save our lives."He said he is hopeful that everyone who has been displaced by the fire will get the help they need.See our live traffic map for updates.Click the video player above to watch other headlines from KCRA News 3This story was curated by Hearst's KCRA Alert Desk.Do you have photos or videos of this or another incident? Upload them to KCRA.com/upload, and be sure to include your name and additional details so we can give you credit online and on TV.If this story happened near you or someone you know, share this article with friends in your area using the KCRA mobile app so they know what is happening near them. The KCRA app is available for free in Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.See more coverage of top California stories here | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

More than 40 people were displaced after an apartment complex caught fire Tuesday night in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, officials said.

Fire crews were dispatched around 11:21 p.m. Tuesday to a property on A Street and Georgia Drive. Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said.

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All 16 units in one building were damaged with nine having major damage. A second building was evacuated because power lines burned and dropped, leaving the units without power until the Sacramento Municipal Utility District can restore it, Sac Metro Fire said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

KCRA 3 spoke with one of the 40 residents who was displaced. He said he heard people yelling, 'Fire!' just as he was going to bed.

“I jumped up and I turned around and I said, you know, 'everybody get out.' I ran towards the banister, looked over and my landlord was putting out a fire,” Nathaniel Figueroa said. “As I ran down to help him put out the fire, it just got worse from there.”

He said he tried pulling things that were burning out of the first-floor apartment, like the couch, but the flames moved too fast.

“This building caught fire like the back of a box of matches. It was like somebody poured gasoline in there. In a matter of minutes, it was gone,” he said. "A lot of people were affected by this. A lot of people."

While the Red Cross and property owner are helping those who are displaced right now, he said he doesn't know what a long-term solution will look like for his family.

"Honestly, I've lost everything. Everything. I've been on my own since I was 12. So now, everything I got to work for all over again,” Figueroa said. “We have no clothes. We have nothing. We have no money. We got lucky to have a car. I mean, and we got lucky to save our lives."

He said he is hopeful that everyone who has been displaced by the fire will get the help they need.

See our live traffic map for updates.

Click the video player above to watch other headlines from KCRA News 3

This story was curated by Hearst's KCRA Alert Desk.

Do you have photos or videos of this or another incident? Upload them to KCRA.com/upload, and be sure to include your name and additional details so we can give you credit online and on TV.

If this story happened near you or someone you know, share this article with friends in your area using the KCRA mobile app so they know what is happening near them. The KCRA app is available for free in Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Subscribe to our morning newsletter