VIDEO: Firefighters battled a six-alarm fire Saturday evening at an apartment building under construction near the University of California campus.
The blaze was reported shortly before 6 p.m. and was located in an apartment building under construction and believed to be unoccupied in the 2000 block of University Avenue, two blocks west of the Cal campus.
Originally designated as a two-alarm blaze, Berkeley firefighters eventually upgraded the incident to a six-alarm fire, receiving mutual aid from departments in neighboring Oakland, Piedmont, Emeryville, Albany and El Cerrito. The Alameda County Fire Department also assisted.
“We can handle two-alarms, so that puts all of our 7 engines, 2 truck companies, 2 ambulance companies and command staff to work,” said Berkeley Fire Department Assistant Chief Keith May. “But because of the size of it, and the building and the exposures, we had to call in for additional resources.”