1 Person Dies In Martinez Apartment Fire, 8 Displaced

MARTINEZ, CA — One person died in a fire early Wednesday morning at a fourplex fire in Martinez.

The fire in the 100 block of Foster Street was reported at 2:58 a.m. by the Martinez Police Department and crews were on the scene within five minutes, according to Steve Hill, spokesperson for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

There were two residents trapped inside their apartment, Hill said. Crews rescued one of the residents from a back window using a ladder.

"We immediately rescued a second victim and performed CPR for more than 40 minutes but unfortunately that person did not survive," Hill told Patch.

The fire was extinguished by 3:15 a.m.

The remaining eight residents of the two-story building were displaced and were offered assistance from the Red Cross.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation but it appeared it might have started on a stove while one of the residents was cooking, Hill said.