People were hanging out windows and running barefoot for their lives early Monday morning as a fire raged through a three-story West Oakland residential building with a history of complaints, killing at least three people and sending another four to the hospital, authorities said.
Three were confirmed dead and one was still unaccounted for on Monday night, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Several people were hanging out windows as firefighters arrived shortly after the fire started around 5:40 a.m. at 2551 San Pablo Ave., home to 100 residents, said Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Erik Logan. Fifteen people were rescued by firefighters. Others fled to safety by fire escapes, Logan said.