One person was injured and 10 people displaced in a fire that badly damaged a single-story duplex in Watsonville, the Watsonville Fire Department reported.
Watsonville fire responded at 3:05 a.m. today to a structure fire at 23 Altamont Drive where flames ignited on a porch and spread upwards along a wall to the attic, fire Division Chief Rob Ryan said.
Some residents inside the duplex were altered by their smoke detectors and walked to the front entrance where they saw flames, Ray said. They exited through the back of the home and called 911, Ryan said.
All 10 people inside the two homes were safely evacuated and fire crews had the fire under control in about 10 minutes, according to Ryan.
One resident was transported by American Medical Response to a hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
The Santa Cruz County American Red Cross is assisting the five adults and five children who were displaced to find alternative housing, Ryan said. The duplex sustained an estimated $170,000 in damage.
The cause of the fire has not been determined so far, Ryan said.
The quick response by the fire department and other agencies prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby housing units and saved an estimated $450,000 in potential damages, according to Ryan.
Other agencies that assisted city firefighters were the Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District, Cal Fire, Watsonville police and PG&E, Ryan said.
--Bay City News
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