Investigators on Monday were still trying to determine what led to an explosion Sunday at a West Sacramento apartment complex that caused extensive damage and displaced more than 30 residents.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, numerous residents called 911 to report the explosion at the Washington Courtyard apartment complex at 530 Seventh St. in West Sacramento.
Firefighters arrived to find that a two-story apartment building with 14 units in the complex had extensive damage consistent with a “significant explosion,” the West Sacramento Fire Department announced in a Facebook post Monday.
Firefighters conducted “a quick structural assessment” and first searched for injured people outside the building before extinguishing a grass fire behind the building and moving inside to look for any trapped residents in the apartments, fire officials said.
Two people suffered minor injuries and were treated on site by ambulance personnel, according to the fire brigade.
Fire officials said Sacramento Fire Department crews, including special operations personnel, responded to help build temporary structural embankments to prevent further building collapse.
Red Cross officials also worked with apartment complex management to find temporary housing for 34 displaced residents, according to fire officials. Firefighters escorted residents back to their apartments to collect essential items such as medicine.
West Sacramento building officials red-tagged the damaged building and ensured that an adjacent building that suffered blast damage would be repaired quickly so residents could remain safely in their apartments. Crews from the city’s public works department cleared large debris caused by the explosion, fire officials said.
The West Sacramento Fire Department and Police Department worked together to determine the cause and origin of the explosion.
