- Riverside firefighters have not determined the cause of a fire that broke out in a second-story apartment in downtown Riverside, leaving residents injured and some hanging from windows.
Brian Jackson was visiting a friend in downtown Riverside when a second-story apartment erupted in flames before dawn, sending injured residents outside and leaving others hanging from windows.
Jackson says the fire began with rechargeable batteries that started popping and throwing sparks. Riverside firefighters have not reached that conclusion: the department’s official incident report still lists no cause for the Sept. 17 fire.
As smoke and flames spread, Jackson said he came across a woman who told him she was eight months pregnant and was already halfway out a window. He persuaded her not to jump and began trying to work out another way down…