Residents escape early-morning fire at Grover Beach condo
Two residents, their dog and their neighbors were forced to evacuate after a fire burned a condominium in Grover Beach early Wednesday morning.
The blaze — reported at 4:27 a.m. — occurred in the upper story of a two-story home at the corner of Longbranch Avenue and 16th Street, behind the nearby Vons grocery store.
Fire Cities Fire Authority Chief Steve Lieberman, who was on scene at the incident in the 1600 block of Longbranch, said that police evacuated adjoining units because they shared common walls with the home where the fire was located.
Two people and a dog were in the residence at the time and cleared out, Lieberman said.
Fire officials were able to extinguish the blaze, which was contained to the one home, and no injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation, Lieberman said.
“The (unit) has been red-tagged by the city of Grover Beach building official because of excessive damage,” Lieberman said.
Lieberman said fire officials had to check to make sure the fire hadn’t gone into the attic space, where it could intrude into the attached next-door unit.
“When there’s smoke damage as heavy as it was, the insurance company is going to hire a contractor and they’re likely going to take the walls down to the studs, take all the drywall down,” Lieberman said.
The residents’ personal items such as clothing, sheets, towels and furniture were destroyed in the blaze, Leiberman said.
“When I check in with them, (the residents) were going to stay with nearby family,” Lieberman said.
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