3 hurt after fire breaks out above Brookdale post office
BROOKDALE, Calif. - Two children and an adult are recovering from injuries after an apartment fire broke out in a century-old building in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The fire erupted in an apartment unit above the Brookdale post office on Friday morning.
Video showed residents screaming as alarms wailed in the background and flames shot through the roof of the building.
"There were multiple children bleeding, injured, and disorientated. There were adults yelling," said videographer Alekz Londos. "It was a very traumatic and horrible scene."
Londos recorded the chaotic and frantic fight to save lives as the two-story structure went up in flames.
Fire investigators said they believe the blaze started in a second-floor apartment.
"We heard a bunch of commotion going upstairs. We weren't sure exactly what was going on. We know they have kids up there. We thought one of the kids had a bad dream, woke up, and started fighting. So we were confused, until our neighbor came and let us know what was going on," said victim John Bowles.
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Neighbor Tim Fry said one fire victim banged on his door for help. He then rallied to get everyone out and called 911.
"When they cut the holes in the roof, it was burning in the attic so bad, that they cut the holes in the roof and it would shoot up, like 20 feet up," he said.
Firefighters rescued at least a half-dozen residents living in apartments on the first and second floors of the building. Officials said two preteens and one adult were taken to a hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
There were no other injuries, but one pet died.
Several families that were forced from their homes returned Friday afternoon to collect some belongings. They're staying at the nearby Brookdale Lodge.
The Brookdale postmaster said operations are being moved to nearby Boulder Creek due to the damage.
"All of the sheetrock has dropped down from up above, mostly in the middle. And the floor is just pummeled with garbage. We took the parcels out and we're taking them to Boulder Creek right now," said Postmaster Lanette Kuhr.
It's unclear how long this post office will remain closed.
Fire investigators are searching for the fire's origin and cause.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on the Instagram platform, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.