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One Dead, Two Injured in Sacramento Apartment Fire

Home » One Dead, Two Injured in Sacramento Apartment Fire
September 28, 2022
Edward Smith

One Killed, Two Hospitalized in Sacramento Apartment Fire

One person is dead, and two others suffered serious injuries after they tried to escape a fire at their Sacramento apartment building last week. Residents of the 10-unit apartment complex ran and jumped for their lives when the fire broke out.

Details of the Sacramento Apartment Fire

On Wednesday, September 21, the Sacramento Fire Department responded to a fire at about 3 a.m. at the apartment building near the intersection of Franklin Boulevard and 16th Avenue. Fire crews said the majority of the damage occurred on the second floor.
Residents said flames were shooting out of their apartment, partially blocking the only stairs out of the building. They said with nowhere else to go, they had no choice but to run past the fire, enduring intense heat.

Residents Suffered Injuries While Trying to Escape

A man tumbled down the stairs during the ordeal and suffered a serious ankle injury. Another man was forced to jump out of the second story of the building when his apartment was filled with smoke and suffered injuries to his leg and face during the fall. Neighbors who tried to catch the man said he couldn’t get out the front of the building because it was already engulfed with flames.

Deadly Discovery in the Fire

After battling their way into the burning apartment complex, firefighters discovered an unconscious man. Paramedics performed living-saving CPR on him, but he later died at the hospital.

Five apartment building units sustained fire damage, while the other five suffered significant water and smoke damage.
Investigators spent several hours at the scene searching for the cause of the fire. No other details have been released during the ongoing investigation.

How Safe is Your Apartment?

Landlords are responsible for keeping their properties in good condition to ensure the buildings are equipped with proper fire safety features. Landlords can be liable for negligence if a tenant is hurt in a fire that could have been prevented if the landlord had followed basic safety codes.

Responsibilities of a Landlord

A landlord’s responsibilities to keep tenants safe include:

  • Making sure smoke alarms are on the property
  • Ensuring the building’s electrical wiring is safely installed and in good condition
  • Installing fireproof doors
  • Having a safe, sturdy fire escape route
  • Keeping escape plans visible in common areas of a building, like a laundry room or a hallway
  • Providing serviced fire extinguishers regularly

Some local building codes require landlords to provide smoke detectors and fire extinguishers because they are often highly effective fire safety tools.

One important thing to remember is that even if a fire starts in a tenant’s apartment, the landlord could still be liable. That’s because there are laws and building codes that landlords need to follow to keep tenants safe.

Watch YouTube Video: 9 Tips to Survive a Fire in a Hopeless Situation. The following video explains how to survive a house fire and how you can greatly increase your chances of surviving.

Why You Need the Help of an Experienced Lawyer

Burn victims can suffer great physical and emotional trauma, leaving them with high medical bills, lost wages, and life-changing injuries.

If you have sustained severe burns in a fire due to negligence, it is essential to consult with a knowledgeable burn injury attorney as soon as possible. You have a right to hold a negligent landlord liable for your injuries caused by an unsafe home environment.

Insurance companies are trained to use tactics to downplay your injuries and push you into accepting a lowball settlement.

An experienced injury lawyer will request a fire report and do an investigation to determine the extent of your injuries to give you an accurate assessment of the long-term consequences of your injuries. This information allows your attorney to better negotiate with the at-fault party’s insurance company to ensure you get the maximum compensation you deserve.

Sacramento Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Lawyers

I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury attorney in Sacramento. If you or a loved one has suffered a severe burn injury in a fire as a result of another’s negligence, call our law office at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice. You can also contact us through our online form.

Our legal team has built a solid reputation for helping injured people. We will work hard to determine how we can help you fight for the compensation you might deserve.

Photo by Chris Karidis on Unsplash
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