Huge Blaze Destroys Complex Under Construction, Neighboring Townhomes And Auto Repair Shop

A massive 6-alarm fire tore through an apartment complex under construction on Wednesday morning, spreading to townhomes next door and forcing dozens to evacuate. The fire broke out before 3 a.m. at San Pablo Avenue and Adeline Street, across the street from Home Depot and right off I-580, which was affected by the blaze. It was on the Oakland border. It took five hours for crews to control the blaze, but everyone is grateful that a fire this big didn’t kill or hurt anyone.

Melvin Burns took cellphone video of the fire but realized he needed to get out of there. "At one point, it got so hot I had to evacuate because the windows were starting to crack and break, it was that close," he said.