Man dies in Salinas morning fire

A man is dead following a fire in Salinas.

Officials with the Salinas Fire Department say the two alarm fire happened at an apartment complex on Garner Avenue a little after 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

A man was trapped in the apartment where the fire started and later died. Eleven people have been displaced, as two apartments caught fire.

“They were able to pull out one victim and then continued the fire fight that lasted approximately 20 minutes. Before they got that under control the victim was handed off to EMS and was subsequently pronounced deceased,” Battalion Chief Keith Emery said.

The man who died has not been identified but the apartment manager says he lived alone.

The family who lives right above that apartment was inside when they heard the explosion and quickly got out to safety.

“Watching TV and then I heard something explode under and then my brother saw fire, so he told all of us to go outside,” Adrian Vega said.

Adrian and his two sibling were inside and their mom had already left for work.

“The quick efforts of the apartment manager they were able to get every one else out there were no other residents injured and no firefighters injured as well,” Emery said.

The Vega family says they believe the fire sparked from their downstairs neighbors combination of smoking and using an oxygen tank.

The fire department is still investigating the cause.

KION 2019