Fire displaces – A fast-moving fire displaced more than 100 people at an apartment complex near UC Riverside on Friday morning, with flames shooting through the roof of a building on 3996 Iowa Avenue. No injuries were reported, and officials said the cause remains unclear.
A Friday morning fire ripped through the roof of an apartment complex in Riverside, sending firefighters in as flames shot out overhead and residents were forced out with no time to watch what was happening.
Fire officials said the blaze was first reported at 11:13 a.m. at the University Riverside Gardens on 3996 Iowa Avenue. Riverside Fire Division Chief Greg White said when crews arrived, the flames were already tearing through the roof.
The complex sits just a few blocks west of University of California Riverside. White said the apartment building is not student housing, but university officials have been working to determine whether any UCR students may have been affected.
The university said in a statement that while the affected property is not owned or operated by UCR, it is working to determine how many, if any, UCR students live at the location and to provide resources and basic needs.
Officials said about 50 of the 112 units in the building were affected. They estimated that roughly 115 people have been displaced. All residents were evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
It remains unclear what sparked the fire. White said the ongoing fire risk and the structure’s condition made it unsafe for a fire investigator to begin an investigation.
As crews worked to bring the flames under control, fire units from Riverside County, San Bernardino County and Ontario Fire assisted in putting down the blaze. White said they had “made a stop and are trying to protect the integrity of the building.”
For residents, the immediate priority is simple: getting out safely, and then figuring out what comes next. With the building’s condition still in question and an investigation not yet underway, the displaced families now wait for answers—about what happened, and how soon they can return.
Riverside fire UC Riverside University Riverside Gardens apartment complex fire 3996 Iowa Avenue displaced residents Greg White