By Alan Lopez
The Contra Costa Times
HAYWARD, Calif. — A 73-year-old woman was rescued from the third-floor balcony of her apartment Saturday night and treated for smoke inhalation after a neighboring apartment burned.
The blaze at an apartment building in the 900 block of West Tennyson Road, reported at 7:10 p.m., brought out six fire engines, two fire trucks, two battalion chiefs and Hayward police officers. The fire was under control within 15 minutes, Hayward fire Battalion Chief Mark Bennett said.
Despite heavy flames and smoke, firefighters kept the fire isolated to one apartment and prevented the blaze from spreading to additional residences, he said. “The damage could have been much more severe.”
The 73-year-old woman, whose smoke-filled apartment was adjacent to the blaze, had attempted to leave through her front door but found the hallway inundated with smoke. The woman didn’t panic, instead retreating to her balcony, where she patiently waited for firefighters, who rescued her using a ladder truck.
“She was as calm as anyone I’ve ever seen,” Bennett said.
The woman was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, then transported to St. Rose Hospital in Hayward. She was expected to have been released to her family Sunday.
About 75 residents on the first two floors of the apartment building were allowed to return to their homes Sunday. The Red Cross was called for more than 30 residents who were displaced because of smoke and water damage and the shut-off of utilities on the third floor.
Firefighters had not determined the cause of the fire as of late Sunday, but they interviewed residents at the complex as part of their investigation, Bennett said.
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