A massive fire at a building under construction forced evacuations Monday in Redwood City.
More than five hours after the fire started firefighters were able to contain the fire to the originating structure, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. Although "under control" the area is in a 24-hour fire watch.
No injuries have been reported in the blaze, which also sparked an air quality advisory -- wind is expected to push smoke across the peninsula and into San Jose.
Aerial coverage from NBC Bay Area's SkyRanger on Monday afternoon showed the construction site gutted after flames ripped through the building.
The fire was first reported at 10:15 a.m. on the 2700 block of Middlefield Road and garnered an eight-alarm response, firefighters said. Due to the building not being fully constructed, it made it harder to fight, according to Menlo Park Protection District Chief Mark Lorenzen
"Anytime you have a building under construction there’s no fire systems no sprinklers, no firewall and just wood so it can burn fast like a fireplace,” Lorenzen said.
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Evacuations were ordered for those between Pacific Avenue and Calvin Avenue, and later extended to include residents living on Dumbarton Avenue.
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About 200 of individuals were evacuated, and close to 100 construction workers in the building self-evacuated, Lorenzen said.
While many residents did evacuate some refused and said their homes is all they had.
"They told us to evacuate, they said they were going to move the ‘safe zone’ one more block down that way ... but I told them ‘I’m not leaving because this is my house," said Reyes Martinez. "Insurance isn’t going to pay for the repairs, so me and my neighbor decided to stay and just put up a fight.”
Salvador Cuevas echoed Martinez's sentiments.
"I do want to protect my place, this is my whole thing," Cuevas said. "I know it feels bad but if worse comes to worst we need to run away. I want to fight the fire.”
Some evacuees are finally being allowed to return to their homes, officials said Monday afternoon.
Several evacuation centers were set up to those impacted:
North Fair Oaks Library, Fair Oaks Community Center and Veterans Memorial Senior Center will provide services across varied times. North Fair Oaks Library will remain open until 8 p.m. and Fair Oaks Community Center will stay open until 5 p.m.
Classes at Garfield Community School, on Middlefield Road, were dismissed for the day, according to a spokesperson for the Redwood City School District. Parents are being advised to pick up their children, officials said.
"Due to smoke from a fire on Middlefield Road, we are dismissing school immediately for the safety and well-being of our students and staff. We want to assure you that everyone is fine and safe at school," school officials said.
According to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the fire started on the fifth floor of the building. Lorenzen said wind quickly spread flames and embers in the building.
San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said the 179 unit building was instrumental to growth in the area. The building, once completed, would have served as an affordable housing structure, Canepa said.
Construction of the $155 million adorable housing project was expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2025.
Caltrain service was also suspended in Redwood City while crews battled the fire, officials said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is currently being investigated, officials said.
