Berkeley firefighters, joined by those from Oakland, rescued an older woman from her burning home at 44 Alvarado Rd. this morning, according to Assistant Berkeley Fire Chief Keith May.
A call came in at 6:08 a.m. that a house was burning “with a possible resident inside,” said May. Berkeley firefighters started to respond, and then calls came in saying the house was actually in Oakland, said May. (Parts of Alvarado Road have Berkeley mailing addresses but are actually located within Oakland city limits.)
Despite the confusion, Berkeley firefighters continued to respond, said May. When firefighters arrived they discovered the home was within Berkeley city limits, he said.
Oakland fire engines also came to the scene.
Firefighters from both cities rushed into the house where they discovered an older woman in a nearby room about 40 to 60 feet from the flames, he said. The door to that room was shut. The woman was rushed to a local hospital. May did not know her condition.
The fire was extinguished within ten minutes and the response time was not hampered by the geographical confusion, said May.
Two rooms in the house were moderately damaged and there was smoke damage throughout the house. he said. Berkeley firefighters are still on the scene.
Update 2:15 pm: This story has been updated to say firefighters from both jurisdictions helped rescue the woman. A call this afternoon to May clarified the situation. “It was a coordinated effort to get the woman out of the house,” he said.
