A plumbing contractor accidentally sparked a fire at the University Riverside Gardens apartment complex at 3996 Iowa Ave. on May 29, the Riverside Fire Department (RFD) determined.
The fire began at approximately 11:13 a.m. when hot material from the contractor's tools made contact with insulation inside a wall cavity. Flames spread quickly into the attic and grew into a three-alarm fire that took roughly six hours to contain
The blaze destroyed 50 units and displaced more than 150 residents — including dozens of UC Riverside (UCR) students who live at the complex near campus.
Sixty-five units were salvaged, but the building is currently considered uninhabitable and it is unclear when those residents will be allowed to return.
Because the fire spread behind drywall without triggering smoke alarms in the living spaces, neither the contractor nor residents initially knew the building was on fire, according to Division Chief Greg White.
By the time flames broke through the roof and became visible from outside, the contractor had to be evacuated by arriving fire crews.
“The fire had to have been burning in the attic space for some time as there was no smoke alarms activated within the living spaces of the apartments and no signs of fire from below,” White told the Gazette.
Firefighters attacked the blaze from above using brigade cranes on the roof while others sprayed water from the ground. Riverside Police officers assisted with evacuation and connecting residents to resources.
