A fire at a downtown Watsonville supportive housing complex early Tuesday displaced a number of low-income residents, despite being limited to just one room.
Watsonville Fire Department Division Chief Tom Avila said that fire crews responded to an activated smoke detector on the fourth floor of the Resetar Residential Hotel on West Lake Avenue about 2:37 a.m. Tuesday. When the crews arrived, they received multiple reports of smoke on the fourth floor.
The first engine on scene saw a small fire on a room on the fourth floor, which was extinguished by the hotel’s sprinkler system. After that, Avila said firefighters focused on smoke and water removal. He added that an unattended lit candle caused the fire, which was deemed accidental.
Avila said tenants of four units were displaced, but did not know how many people in total that included. One resident was assessed for smoke inhalation but declined transport to a medical facility. No other injuries were reported.
The Resetar Residential Hotel is a 90-unit affordable housing complex in downtown Watsonville. More than 100 residents live in the complex, with half having previously experienced homelessness, according to the website of building’s manager, Fremont-based Abode Services. The nonprofit agency said two full-time staff work on-site at the hotel providing residents with training on life skills and financial literacy classes, along with recovery support.
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