A fire that erupted in a kitchen oven caused major damage to a Riverside apartment complex, displacing all of its 20 residents, authorities said Friday.
The non-injury blaze was reported at about 9:20 p.m. Thursday at 10606 Collett Ave., just off of Hole Avenue, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Pat Hopkins said four engine crews and a truck company were sent to the location and encountered flames in an upstairs unit of the four-unit building.
All of the residents had evacuated by the time crews reached the scene, Hopkins said.
“Firefighters performed an aggressive fire attack and contained fire damage to one apartment,” he said.
However, water used to knock down the flames spread to at least one adjacent unit.
The fire was under control by 9:40 p.m.
Hopkins estimated the damage to be about $200,000. Because of the impact to the entire building, all of the occupants were displaced, and Red Cross personnel were requested to assist the victims with finding temporary alternate lodgings, according to the battalion chief.
He said plastics had been stowed in the oven where the blaze started.
“The oven was accidentally turned on, and the contents caught fire,” Hopkins said.