A burn victim was flown to an out-of-area hospital Wednesday morning after a residential fire broke out in Santa Maria.
Around 7:07 a.m., the Santa Maria Fire Department responded to multiple reports of a fire with possible victims in an apartment in the 800 block of East Cook Street, according to Battalion Chief Mike Barneich.
When crews arrived, light smoke was seen showing from the front door of the single-story, two-unit residential building.
Santa Maria police officers had entered the building to find victims prior to the Fire Department’s arrival and evacuated four occupants.
The fire crew performed a detailed search of both units of the structure and was able to knock down the blaze.
One of those people evacuated sustained burn injuries, was transported by private vehicle and subsequently flown to a burn unit in Fresno for care, Barneich said.
The incident is being considered accidental but is still under investigation by city fire investigators.
The department also stated Wednesday that it had responded to another fire earlier in the week that displaced several residents.
At 7:09 p.m. Monday, multiple reports of a possible structure fire in the 300 block of East Enos, where responding crews found light smoke coming out of a two-story, multiunit residential building.
The residents had already been evacuated, and after conducting a search of the unit, crews extinguished a stove and cabinetry that were on fire.
The residents were offered shelter by the Red Cross due to the smoke damage in their apartment.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
