Townhouse fire displaces Salinas family, kills pets

Several people jumped out of windows to escape an apartment fire in Salinas.

Flames engulfed the complex at 912 Acosta Plaza Monday morning when firefighters responded at around 10:30 a.m.

At the time of the fire, a husband and wife were sleeping inside their home when fire investigators say they heard a loud explosion.

Firefighters tell KION the residents had no choice but to jump out out their window of the second story.

The apartment housed a family of five, a dog and two cats.

Every human was safely evacuated with only minor injuries to the two that jumped out the window. However the cats did not make it out of the building.

“It’s our understanding the family lost everything,” Salinas Fire Chief Alexander Marshall said. “Everything’s gone, so we’re contacting the local red cross and seeing if they’ll give us support, which they will.”

A neighbor caught the burning on camera after smelling smoke from her apartment kitchen.

“I had the door open, so when I spelled the smoke I came outside and I see the smoke coming out,” Janette Perez said.

Salinas fire managed to isolate the burn to just one apartment in the fourplex, but everyone in the building was evacuated.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.