Berkeley fire on College Avenue leaves 1 man dead

A man has died after an apartment fire on College Avenue in Berkeley on Wednesday morning, authorities report.

Firefighters found two men trapped and rescued them, one from a balcony and one from inside the building, the Berkeley Fire Department said Wednesday.

The second man sustained critical injuries and ultimately did not survive, officials said just before 1 p.m.

The fire, in the Elmwood neighborhood, displaced six people.

The incident began just before 8:25 a.m. in the 2500 block of College Avenue, just south of Dwight Way, when a caller reported heavy white smoke coming from the building, where the alarm was sounding, and one person possibly trapped inside.

When firefighters arrived, there was “light smoke showing from one side of a three-story apartment complex. A second alarm was requested to support the response,” BFD said.

Fire crews saw one man on a balcony and rescued him, and then rescued a second man after searching the building.

The second man was taken to the hospital in critical condition, BFD said, while the first man, who was also taken to the hospital, escaped with minor injuries, according to preliminary reports.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire after locating the source.

Berkeley Fire said the building sprinkler system helped keep the fire in check, while also noting that it had been tough to get inside “due to heavy content conditions.”

There were no injuries to firefighters.

The fire’s cause and any known damages remain under investigation.

College Avenue was closed in both directions near Dwight Way and Parker Street during the fire.