The 234 Apartment

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Crews battled a five-alarm fire at an abandoned apartment building in Riverside on Sunday. The fire broke out in a second- story apartment at the Monte Vista Terrace apartments , located in the 2400 block of Market Street around 4:30 p.m., fire officials said. The unoccupied building is listed as a senior living facility . When firefighters first arrived, they say they attempted to fight the flames from the inside, but were quickly forced to evacuate as the fire grew. The fire was upgraded from a four-alarm fire to a five alarm fire in the 9 p.m. hour. By 11 p.m., crews had the flames under control. They were expected to remain on scene through the night. No injuries were immediately reported. A cause of the fire was not immediately known. CNS contributed to this report. (Copyright ©2017 KABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.)

After surveying the damage at the Woodhollow Apartments on Tuesday, Fire Chief Charles Hood said it was too risky for arson investigators to enter the one building that was reduced to rubble. But Hood said they have spoken to witnesses, so he hopes that will lead to what started the three-alarm fire. Hood said Monday's dangerously high winds "could have easily burned up the entire block." "Fighting a wind-fed fire like that is like fighting a blow torch," Hood said. However, Hood credited the more than 100 firefighters for containing the fire to a single building with 36 units, of which only three were unoccupied. "It's a testament to the training and the commitment of the firefighters," Hood said. "We're extremely proud of them." He said only one resident was treated for smoke inhalation, but no firefighters were hurt. The chief also said it would have been a far different story if the fire had started in the middle of the night, w...