Fire strikes Autumn Oaks apartments

Roseville firefighters responded to a fire that destroyed at least one apartment and might have damaged others in the Autumn Oaks apartments Tuesday.No one was injured in the blaze, which was reported at around 10:24 a.m. at 1451 Kingswood Dr. east of Foothills Boulevard. "Our units arrived at the Autumn Oaks apartment complex and found smoke coming from one of the apartment buildings," said Dennis Mathison of the Roseville Fire Department. "It's an eight-unit, two-story building. We don't know where the fire started in the building."Mathison said the fire got up into an attic and started to spread quickly."That's when we put out a call for agency assistance and Rocklin responded," he said. "Sacramento Metro fire units acted as backup in case of other emergency calls."Six fire engines and three ladder trucks were in on the response, Mathison said.Roseville police officers and ambulance units were at the scene, ready to provide assistance if need. Firefighters took turns going into the building and then others would come out, getting charged air tanks and drinking water.Cheryl Higgins, who recently moved to Roseville from Orange County, stood in the parking lot with other neighbors and on-lookers, watching the firefighters."I was in my apartment when I heard someone screaming," Higgins said. "I ran outside to see what was happening and saw flames and smoke coming out of the upper apartment building."Higgins said it was a bad situation."I just hope no one was hurt," she said. "But it's hard to lose your home. I hope they'll be OK."Autumn Oaks residents Travis Turner and Kathy Barrow stood outside their apartment complex and watched the firefighters put out the flames.Turner said he had looked out a window and saw smoke. He went to check on his other neighbors, including Barrow."We're all OK," he said. "Our building wasn't affected."Barrow remembered that one of residents living in the burning apartment building had a pet dog."I asked one of the firefighters to check and he found a dog," she said.Barrow held the little pug, which was shaking nervously."I don't know his name," she said. "But today I'm calling him Lucky."Mathison said that by 11:20 a.m. the fire was under control."We're still watching it," he said. "We still don't know the point of origin yet. One apartment was hit bad and I don't know how much damage the others sustained."Brad Smith can be reached at brads@goldcountrymedia.com.