Everyone in a four-story apartment building got out safely early Friday after a three-alarm fire broke out in Oakland that started because of blanket that was too close to a wall heater, firefighters said.
Oakland Battalion Chief Ian McWhorter said two people suffered some minor smoke inhalation, but that they didn't need to be taken to the hospital. The Red Cross was dispatched to come to assist nine people in the 12-unit building. He said the the blaze was under control just before 5 a.m.
A woman named Dominique who lives across the street in the 3800 block of Harrison Street began tweeting what she was seeing: "I just woke up to children screaming 'Help, save me' " When she looked outside, she saw the building across the street was burning.
In a followup phone interview, Dominique said she woke up about 4 a.m. to hear glass shattering and a lot of trucks. She said she heard what sounded like a "really young" girl and boy. "The boy was screaming, help me, save me." She said she jumped out of bed and looked out the window to see the chaos outside.
Dominique added she was really shaken up by the fire because she lost five friends in the deadly Ghost Ship warehouse fire on Dec. 2. In that fire, 36 people, mostly artists and musicians, died when a fire ripped through an electric dance party.
