A fire that erupted Friday in a Riverside apartment building caused significant damage to a unit, displacing the two occupants who were not injured.
The blaze was reported at 12:50 p.m. Friday at the Keith Street Apartments, in the 1800 block of Keith Street, near Chicago Avenue just south of downtown, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst said five engine crews and a truck company, numbering two dozen personnel, were sent to the location and encountered flames burning on the second floor.
The blaze was isolated to a single apartment in the five-unit building, from which everyone had safely evacuated, Vanderhorst said.
He said firefighters fully contained the flames before they could spread beyond the room of origin, completely knocking down the blaze at 1:30 p.m.
“The probable cause of the fire was … use of a space heater with an extension cord” that failed, the battalion chief said.
Damage to the apartment was extensive, displacing the man and woman occupying it.
Red Cross volunteers were requested to assist the victims, whose identities were not disclosed. However, the complex manager determined they could be temporarily placed in an empty unit at the location, according to Vanderhorst.