Nearly 60 people are looking for a place to stay after a huge apartment fire in Walnut Creek Thursday evening.
The four-alarm blaze ravaged a downtown Walnut Creek apartment complex. It was contained by about 7 p.m., fire officials said.
The fire broke out at about 5:45 p.m. at the Broadway Plaza Apartment Complex and quickly spread through the building.
Residents of the building say they escaped just as the flames exploded.
"The whole back of that behind us -- it just went up -- I just heard this big 'pop!' It really went up," said one man who escaped the burning building.
A partial-floor collapse in the unit had kept firefighters from extinguishing the flames in the building located at 1170 Lincoln Ave., said Bob Davis, a supervising fire inspector with the Walnut Creek Fire Department.
Firefighters evacuated 38 units -- eight of which suffered heavy damage. Six of those units were heavily burned or completely gutted by flames, Davis said.
"A preliminary estimate is $2 million in fire damage to the complex," he said.
A firefighter and a civilian were transported to John Muir Medical Center with minor to moderate injuries, Davis said. The civilian suffered smoke inhalation. The firefighter was treated for both smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
"It's my understanding they're both doing well," Davis said.
A passerby, who Davis identified as Chad Maxwell, saw a column of smoke and rushed to the scene, helping to assist a woman who was reluctant to leave her apartment. Walnut Creek police Officer Joe Donleavy also helped the woman evacuate, Davis said.
Davis said 57 firefighters, four battalion chiefs, an assistant chief, 14 law enforcement units, three ambulances and a Pacific Gas and Electric crew were at the scene.
Authorities were letting residents from some adjacent buildings back into their homes Thursday evening. Residents of Broadway Plaza and one adjacent building were not allowed to return.
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