One person died and three were injured in an early morning apartment building fire in Fremont Sunday, fire officials said.
Firefighters responded at 2:53 a.m. to an apartment fire at 3939 Bidwell Drive (Building 25), the department said. Heavy fire conditions were venting from a fourth-floor unit when firefighters arrived, according to the department.
Multiple residents were trapped on the balcony and two attempted to leap from the building to escape when firefighters arrived, the department said.
"It's unclear if the two people attempting to escape the intense fire conditions fell from the fourth-floor balcony or were attempting to leap (or escape) to the balcony area below the fire unit," spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said in an email Sunday afternoon.
"Just as firefighters were attempting to put a 35-foot ground ladder in place to rescue the two occupants from the 4th floor balcony, the occupants fell to the ground," the spokeswoman said.
"Due to access challenges in the parking lot adjacent to the apartment building, firefighters attempted to deploy a 35-foot ground ladder, which is the largest ladder carried on a Fremont Fire truck. The ability to use the aerial ladder on the fire truck was inhibited by obstructions in the parking lot area," Knowles said.
The spokeswoman said the cause and origin of the two-alarm fire remain under investigation.
Local
The total number of displaced residents from the 30-unit apartment building is unknown at this time. The Red Cross assisted some residents with temporary shelter while others made their own individual arrangements to stay with family or friends.
There is significant water and smoke damage throughout the entire apartment building and it is unknown how long residents will be displaced as a result of the fire, according to the department.
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The two-alarm fire claimed the life of one adult and injured three additional people, the department said. Three people were occupants from the unit of origin and one person was from a nearby unit on the fourth floor.
The individual from the adjacent unit was rescued by firefighters, transported to a local hospital, treated for their injuries and released, according to the department.
The last fatality fire in Fremont was on Oct. 14, 2024.
This morning, at 2:53 AM, the Fremont Fire Department responded to a working apartment fire at 3939 Bidwell Dr. (Bldg 25) at the Waterstone Apartments.
— Fremont Fire Department (@FremontFire) April 6, 2025
The first fire engine arrived on scene within minutes and found heavy fire conditions venting from a 4th floor apartment… pic.twitter.com/AHXRTO1rSm
