A large fire broke out at an apartment complex in Riverside Friday, forcing the evacuation of two buildings and sending up a thick plume of smoke.
The fire was reported at the University Riverside Gardens apartment building near Iowa Avenue and University Avenue around 11:13 a.m. It’s a complex where many students live and it’s just blocks from the UC Riverside campus.
Riverside fire officials say the cause appears to be accidental. They believe a contractor was doing work on the property in one of the walls, and the fire sparked without him knowing it…