Dozens displaced by 4-alarm apartment complex fire in Ceres

Scores of residents of the 10th Street and Standford Avenue area were on the sidewalks and streets Tuesday, not for National Night Out, but because fire roared through a number of apartments there.

Eight apartments at two addresses on the 3000 block of 10th Street sustained fire damage that left them uninhabitable, and more had smoke and water damage, said Ceres Fire Department Battalion Chief John Gomes. There were no injuries to residents or firefighters in the blaze, he said.

The Modesto office of the American Red Cross provided financial assistance to 25 adults and 18 children who were displaced from 13 apartments, said business coordinator Kayla Jones. Money could be spent on a night or two at a motel, or, if the residents had places to stay with friends or family, on food or other needs, she said.

The first reports were made about 7:15 p.m. of a tree and structure fire, Gomes said. The first fire crews on the scene saw multiple units involved and sounded a second alarm. Two apartment buildings initially were burning, but the fire spread to a third, he said. Third and fourth alarms were sounded, bringing additional units.

Crews from Ceres, Modesto, Turlock City and Stanislaus Consolidated fire departments had the fire under control in about an hour, Gomes said. Mop-up efforts continued until about 11:30 p.m.

The response included 14 pieces of equipment, 45 to 50 firefighters and four chief officers, Gomes said.

A damage estimate was not immediately available, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Dozens displaced by 4-alarm apartment complex fire in Ceres."