Displaced residents of Eureka’s Serenity Inn watched Tuesday afternoon as firefighters battled a blaze that rapidly spread through several of the rooms.
Eureka Fire Department crews were called at 3:38 p.m. to respond to an ongoing blaze at the Serenity Inn — a motel and shelter owned by Alcohol Drug Care Services, Inc. While no one was injured in the fire, Eureka Fire Chief Eric Smith said seven or eight rooms were damaged, displacing at least 33 residents.
Sherman Williams lived in the upstairs apartment where authorities suspect the fire originated. He sat outside, looking toward the building as smoke billowed from the broken windows of his second-story room.
Although Smith said investigators have yet to verify precisely how the fire started, Williams said it appeared to have been an electrical problem in his room that sparked the blaze.
Williams said he was sitting on his bed, watching television when suddenly, it shut off.
”The TV shorted out, so I unplugged it and went down to tell the manager,” he said.
When Williams began to return to his room, he saw smoke and reported a fire. Within minutes, flames began shooting up over the roof.
Williams said he had been living in the room for about two months with his son and two grandchildren. His family was safely evacuated, but Williams said he guessed everything in the room was lost.
Story by Eureka Times Herald
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