Firefighters injured as crews battle fire at Foster City condominium complex

By Jose Fabian

Fire crews in Foster City remained on the scene Monday, after a six-alarm fire at a condominium complex damaged dozens of units.

battling a six-alarm fire at a condominium building on Sunday.

The Foster City Police Department said the fire ignited around 2:30 p.m. at Spinnaker Cove at 815 Sea Spray Lane and noted that several outside agencies responded to assist San Mateo Consolidated Fire once a Mayday call was sent out for a firefighter who needed assistance getting out of the burning building.

Foster City police said residents of the building were safely evacuated. No residents were injured, but officials said four firefighters suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation, with at least two firefighters being hospitalized. Both have since been released.

“When I hear a Mayday, it’s tough,” Chief Matt Turturici of the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department said. “Firefighter was down. We were able to find the firefighter. They were overcome. It was one of our truck companies that was doing a search on that third floor. They did the search without a hose line because of the speed in which we needed to get up there and start getting people out.” 

Officials said the flames spread through the first, second and third floors of one of the complex’s buildings.

“There were numerous people taken from the third floor down ladders, which was on the opposite side where you can see behind me. And there were numerous rescues down to the stairwells,” Turturici said. 

Keith Tompkins, an evacuee, told CBS News Bay Area that her mom and caregiver were inside their condominium when flames started to take over the building.

“I raced over here tried to get up inside, climbed up over the balcony but it was too hot,” Tompkins said “I thought she was dead, I thought she was gone, I thought they were all gone.”

The caregiver was able to move quickly and rushed her mother out of the burning structure.

The fire destroyed several of the units from the first and third floor, displacing many families. Red Cross personnel were on scene to work with residents in need of assistance, officials said.

Turturici said Sunday’s fire was categorized as an “extended incident.” 

“As you can see, there’s significant damage. With that significant damage, it doesn’t allow us to send firefighters in and get to those hotspots. It’s just too dangerous,” he said. 

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.