Nearly 100 people displaced after fire at Wall Street Inn

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION)

UPDATE 1-/21/2020 4 p.m. Nearly 100 people have been displaced and two people have been injured because of a fire at the Wall Street Inn in Watsonville.

The fire has been extinguished thanks to a sprinkler system and crews at the scene.

There is heavy water damage inside the building, and the Red Cross is there to help those who have been displaced.

One individual reported injured was treated on scene while another was taken to a trauma center.

A maintenance worker was on duty when the fire alarms went off said he spotted the individual struggling and quickly jumped into action to help.

“I heard the alarm go off and five seconds later I see this door open and black some come out and there’s a gentleman on the ground. I rushed over there, I pulled him out from his unit," says Jose Marquez.

Tenants of the building are hailing Marquez a hero.

“He was in bad shape, he was on the ground, we covered him with blankets so he wouldn’t be inhaling the black smoke…I’m very happy to be here at this moment," says Marquez.

Red Cross volunteers say they are currently working on booking hotel rooms for the more than 80 tenants who were evacuated.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Red Cross volunteers say more than 40 rooms at local hotels have been secured to house the tenants temporarily.

PREVIOUS STORY: The Watsonville Fire Department is asking people to avoid the area around Rodriguez and West Beach between CVS and O'Reilly due to a structure fire.

The fire was at the Wall Street Inn, and it has been extinguished.

The Fire Department is still asking everyone to avoid the area because crews are still working at the scene.