SAN JOSE, California — Four people were transported to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and 11 others appeared to suffer minor injuries after a 5-alarm blaze broke out an apartment complex in San Jose Tuesday morning, according to the city’s fire department.

About 20 people were trapped on their second- or third-floor balconies, during the early morning fire at the apartment building located at 2079 McLaughlin Ave. Firefighters worked to both rescue those stranded and gain control of the flames, according to a fire department spokesperson.

Blaze Began Above First Floor

The blaze ignited on the 2nd floor and proceeded to take out units on the third floor, according to the spokesperson. 12 units in all sustained some serious damage from the ravenous fire. Additionally, there was a lot of minor damage to other units, causing the fire department to issue an evacuation order.

The spokesperson said that more than 100 people are displaced as of Tuesday morning. These numbers may rise as the fire officials continue their assessment of the situation. That will mean that all of these people will need to find temporary lodgings for the near future. Where will they go while the apartment complex undergoes repairs? We have no idea, but we hope that the city at least helps these people relocate. After all, it isn’t their fault that the complex caught fire and burned their lives up.

More than 100 firefighters worked at the scene of the fire, according to the spokesperson. There were so many on scene because the fire had seriously dangerous potential. Yes, it caused a lot of destruction as is, but it didn’t cause any deaths. And that’s because of the hard work and selflessness of our brave firefighters, who risk their lives for us every day.

Further information was not available.