Watch CBS News

2 Killed In Pleasant Hill Apartment Fire

PLEASANT HILL  (CBS SF) -- Two people died in an apartment fire in Pleasant Hill early Tuesday morning, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District officials said.

Firefighters responded to a call about 3:30 a.m. at 8 Donegal Court near the border with Martinez. Upon arrival, fire crews found two units heavily engulfed in flames, Contra Costa County fire Capt. Robert Marshall said.

Firefighters were told when they arrived that at least one person remained inside a building, but they soon discovered that two people were unable to escape the fire, Marshall said.

The two killed in the fire were a boyfriend and girlfriend. Their identities were not released.

"The damage to the apartment was such that we aren't able to tell whether or not there were smoke detectors there and they didn't work or there were no smoke detectors there," said Marshall. "We know that in adjacent units and in other apartment units here, that there are in fact smoke detectors."

Investigators said it looked like the couple tried to escape, their screams heard by neighbors.

KCBS' Holly Quan Reports:

All the other residents in The Briar's Apartments complex were able to evacuate safely.  The fire initially left 60 people displaced and the Red Cross arrived at the scene to assist them.

18 people remained displaced by the fire Tuesday afternoon.

Marshall said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.