Eight people were injured and reportedly 50 people are now displaced after a fire tore through a 19-unit apartment complex in San Rafael Thursday morning.

The fire broke out around 5:30 am Thursday on the 500 block of Canal Street, and was contained as of 7 am. As KRON4 reports, two neighboring apartment buildings were evacuated as a precaution, but the damage appears to be limited to the one building, which was home to "at least" 50 residents.

Eight people were injured in the blaze, one of whom was hospitalized with serious injuries. Firefighters reportedly performed at least two rescues.


"Lots of screaming happening," said Craig Ponsford, a resident of a neighboring building, speaking to KRON4. "We looked out our window and the whole canal was glowing. People were telling people to jump."

"This was a large fire," said San Rafael Fire Chief Robert Sinnott, per KTVU. "This building was well-involved."

KTVU reports that many of the residents appeared to be Spanish-speaking, and the Red Cross was on the scene providing assistance. The station reports that "Dozens of people were standing on the street... trying to figure out what to do and where to go."

The origin of the fire remains under investigation.

Top image: Photo via notnowimbusy58/X