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Fireworks Blamed for Berkeley Apartment Fire

By Sasha Lekach (BCN)
Tuesday July 05, 2011 - 06:00:00 PM

A fire at a vacant Berkeley apartment building on Monday night appears to have been sparked by Fourth of July fireworks on the roof, a fire deputy chief said today. 

The one-alarm fire was reported at 11 p.m. Monday at a two-story, nine-unit building at 3240 Ellis St. When firefighters arrived, they saw thick smoke coming from the roof, Berkeley fire Deputy Chief Gil Dong said. 

As firefighters prepared to attack the blaze, they discovered the building was vacant and took a more defensive approach, spraying hoses at adjacent buildings to protect those homes, he said. 

The fire was controlled by 12:30 a.m. and nearby residents whose homes had been evacuated were able to return. 

No injuries were reported, Dong said.  

Dong said a nearby Berkeley church owns the building, which had been used occasionally by church members but had been uninhabited for some time. 

The fire appears to have been sparked accidentally by fireworks, Dong said. 

"Fireworks are sometimes fun to play with, but this is the result," he said.