A fire that erupted in a two-story apartment building near downtown Riverside damaged part of the structure, displacing five residents, authorities said Thursday.
The blaze was reported about 7:55 p.m. Wednesday in the 4000 block of Fourth Street, near Chestnut Street, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Mike Allen said that three engine crews and a truck company, numbering 16 personnel, were sent to the location and encountered flames on the second-floor of the building, where a dog was stranded on a balcony, trying to escape the fire.
Allen said that firefighters rescued the canine and waged an “aggressive attack on the fire,” knocking down the flames within 20 minutes.
Damage to the multi-unit complex was estimated to be about $100,000.
Allen said that American Red Cross staff were requested to assist the five displaced residents with finding temporary alternate lodgings. No one was injured.
A faulty electrical device in one of the units was identified as the probable source of the fire, but the cause remained under investigation Thursday.