"That's my bedroom right there. I just thank god that I was able to get out."
Pamela Moore's apartment is gutted remains of a fire that ripped through it. It was only an hour earlier, she woke up to this..
"I was in the room sleeping... Then I heard the alarms."
"We just started hearing everyone say, 'get out, get out, get out.' I just grabbed a picture of my mama and my daddy and came out here."
It wasn't long before more than 50 firefighters were on scene, cutting a gaping hole in the roof of her apartment to try to slow the fire down. It took them 40 minutes to get it under control, slowed after flames spread to the attic.
Although the fire started in Pamela Moore's apartment, the entire complex has been evacuated for the foreseeable future.
Fire Captain Brian Price: "Six units were directly affected by smoke or fire, but because of where the fire occurred in the attic it damaged the electrical source for the rest of the building."
A total of 16 units, 31 people, were left homeless. Property owners and Pacific Gas and Electric will have to work together to get power restored and residents back in their homes.
As for Pamela, she's just thankful she escaped with precious mementos. Pictures of her deceased parents and sister.
"Those mean more to me than anything else in the house."
All evacuated residents are being assisted by the Red Cross. The fire was caused by malfunctioning electrical equipment. The point of origin was a wall socket. Damage is estimated at half a million dollars.
TXT 24
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