Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Redwood City and Woodside firefighters were able to put out a two-alarm blaze that had a female trapped inside an apartment building in East Palo Alto on Monday morning, Dec. 23, a fire chief said.

Fire crews responded to a report of a fire at a three-story apartment complex at 280 East O'Keefe St. at 12:03 a.m., Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

The fire originated on the second floor, in the back of the building, and was caused by an unattended pot on the stove, Schapelhouman said.

A female was trapped inside on the second floor, but firefighters were able to rescue her and take her to a hospital for treatment, the chief said.

Schapelhouman said that two other women were in the apartment at the time of the fire, but fled the building; they also were taken to a hospital.

One firefighter from the first responding crew suffered from smoke inhalation, but remained at the scene, he said.

None of the injuries is considered life-threatening, Schapelhouman said. The fire was out at about 12:45 a.m., he said.

Schapelhouman said the majority of the damage was done in the second floor, but the third floor sustained some smoke damage.

Six people -- three women from the unit where the fire occurred and three others from a separate unit -- were displaced.

The unit sustained about $100,000 to $150,000 in damage, and another $20,000 to $25,000 in contents were lost.

— Bay City News Service

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