Two Dead In Pleasant Hill Apartment Fire

Two people died in an apartment fire in Pleasant Hill early Tuesday morning, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District officials said.

It appears smoke detecters were not working in an involved apartment unit, a fire captain said. Firefighters responded to a call at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday at 8 Donegal Ct., close to Pleasant Hill Road. Upon arrival, fire crews found two units heavily engulfed in flames, Contra Costa County fire Capt. Robert Marshall said.

Firefighters were told when they arrived that at least one person remained inside the building, but they soon discovered that two people were unable to escape the fire, Marshall said.

Fire officials have not released the identities of the two deceased victims, but they reported that both fatalities were in the same apartment.

The fire left 60 people displaced and the Red Cross at the scene to assist them.

"We think there was a delay in the reporting of the fire." Marshall said. "We don't think the smoke detectors in the unit were working."

Marshall said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

-Bay City News Service