Local apartment goes up in flames

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF REPORT

Fire sprinklers likely saved a Santa Barbara woman’s life after her apartment went up in flames early Sunday morning, fire officials said.
At 3:30 a.m., fire crews arrived at a second-story apartment in the 4200 block of Calle Real to fire alarms ringing, City Fire Spokesman John Ahlman said. After forcing entry into the apartment, firefighters battled through thick smoke to find a woman unconscious in her bed.

After pulling the woman from the smoldering building, fire crews turned the victim over to paramedics, who treated and transported her to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Her identity and condition were not immediately available.
Ahlman said fire sprinklers installed in the apartment complex helped prevent flames from spreading to other apartments. Four adjoining units sustained severe water damage as a result of the sprinkler system.
“But the important thing is that in all probability it saved her life,” he said.
Fire crews extinguished the remaining flames not already doused by the building’s sprinkler system before conducting “salvage work” — going to apartments below the origin of the fire to cover furniture or valuable items, Ahlman said
Fire investigators said the likely cause of the blaze is careless smoking.
Ahlman urged local residents to maintain a working smoke detector and fire extinguisher, particularly those who live in buildings without fire sprinkler systems. He also strongly recommended developing an evacuation plan.
Local Red Cross officials responded to the scene to assist residents displaced by the flames or water damage with temporary housing and food.