2 people sent to hospital after North Highlands duplex fire, Sacramento Metro Fire says
WHERE THE NEWS COMES FIRST LIVE FROM KCRA THREE NEWS. WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. BREAKING NEWS. WE START IT’S A DUPLEX FIRE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. THIS ONE STARTED JUST ABOUT AN HOUR AGO ON CALM WAY, JUST OFF ELKHORN BOULEVARD IN NORTH HIGHLANDS. CREWS QUICKLY HAD TO CALL IN SOME HELP. KCRA 3’S MIKE TESELLE IS OUT THERE. SO, MIKE, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN SO FAR? YEAH, IT’S STILL A VERY ACTIVE SCENE. DEIRDRE. I’LL LET YOU SEE WHAT WE SEE FROM RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET HERE YOU CAN SEE THE DAMAGE TO THAT HOME. A LOT OF FIREFIGHTERS A LOT OF RESOURCES HERE. MARK NUNEZ FROM THE SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT ALSO HERE. SO MARK, TAKE US THROUGH WHAT YOU HAVE. YEAH. OUR CREWS ARRIVED TO A DUPLEX FIRE. THAT WAS WELL INVOLVED. THAT FIRE EXTENDED INTO THE HOME ON THE RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, WE KNOW WE HAVE TWO PATIENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MINOR BURN INJURIES AND SMOKE INHALATION INJURIES. THEY HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL. OUR CREWS RIGHT NOW ARE GOING THROUGH THE HOME TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE’S NO HIDDEN FIRE. WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE ABOUT SIX INDIVIDUALS SO FAR THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED. WE’RE STILL WORKING AT GATHERING OUR INFORMATION RIGHT NOW TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WERE IN THAT PRIMARY UNIT, AND IT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY INTENSE FIRE THAT SPREAD TO SOME OF THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES. YEAH, THAT IS CORRECT. OUR THE HOME ON THE RIGHT RECEIVED SOME EXTENSIVE DAMAGE JUST DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF FIRE AND RADIANT HEAT THAT CAME FROM THE UNIT THAT WAS ON FIRE. WHAT WAS A CHALLENGING SITUATION TO THE FIREMEN? WELL, JUST OUR CREWS GETTING HERE. WE HAD A CHALLENGE OF GETTING A WATER SUPPLY RIGHT AWAY. THEY WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY OVERCOME THAT, GET IN QUICKLY AND EXTINGUISH THIS FIRE. IT WAS JUST A LOT OF FIRE IN THE BEGINNING, WHICH WAS QUITE THE CHALLENGE, AND JUST WAITING FOR RESOURCES TO GET ON SCENE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ON THAT CHALLENGE. ANY IDEA WHAT SPARKED THE FIRE? NO. WE KNOW OUR INVESTIGATION TEAM IS ON SCENE RIGHT NOW. WE’LL BE HERE FOR A WHILE. AS FAR AS WHAT’S NEXT, HOW YOU KNOW WHAT IS NEXT AND HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS FIRE ACTIVITY? WELL, I ANTICIPATE IT’S BEING IMPACTED FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. LIKE I SAID, WE’RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE’S NO HIDDEN FIRES TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR INVESTIGATION TEAM CAN GET IN THERE AND START LOOKING FOR THE CAUSE AND THE ORIGIN. AND THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, IT APPEARS, AT LEAST FROM WHAT WE CAN SEE, A LOT OF STUFF INSIDE THE HOUSE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT ADDED TO THE THE INTENSITY OF THIS FIRE? ANYTIME YOU HAVE A LOT OF PRODUCTS INSIDE OF A HOME, IT DOES MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS MOSTLY IN THE GARAGE. OUR CREWS WERE ABLE TO GET INTO THE LIVING PORTION OF THE HOUSE PRETTY EASILY AND GET TO THE SEAT OF THE FIRE, AND ANY FIREFIGHTER INJURIES. ARE EVERYBODY OKAY? NO FIRE, NO INJURIES TO FIREFIGHTERS. BUT WE DO HAVE TWO CIVILIANS THAT WERE TRANSPORTED AS FAR AS THEIR CONDITIONS AT THIS POINT, ANYTHING MAJOR OR JUST SOME MINOR, WE KNOW THAT ONE OF THEM HAS A MINOR BURN INJURIES, AND THE OTHER ONE TOOK SOME SMOKE INHALATION. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR QUICK WORD. AND AGAIN, I’LL LEAVE YOU WITH AS YOU HEARD, THERE’S GOING TO BE SEVERAL HOURS THAT HE’LL BE THERE. THAT THEY’LL BE ON SCENE HERE. AGAIN, WE’RE TALKING SOME 5060 FIREFIGHTERS WHO RESPONDED TO TRY AND PUT OUT THIS FIRE BEFORE IT DID TOO MUCH DAMAGE TO THAT NEIGHBORING HOME. BUT YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE NEIGHBORING HOME AS WELL. SO THAT’S THE SITUATION HERE ON CA
2 people sent to hospital after North Highlands duplex fire, Sacramento Metro Fire says
Updated: 7:01 AM PDT May 19, 2026
Two people were sent to the hospital Tuesday morning after a fire destroyed a duplex in North Highlands, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said.Mark Nunez, a spokesperson for Metro Fire, said when crews arrived at Karm Way near Elkhorn Boulevard around 4 a.m., flames had already spread to much of the duplex. They quickly called for a second alarm, which means more personnel and resources were called in to assist. A woman was returning home from work when she saw smoke coming from the adjoining unit, Nunez said. She called 911 and began knocking on doors to alert neighbors and ensure her family safely evacuated the home. A mother and child were taken to the hospital for minor burns and smoke inhalation. Both are reported to be doing well, Nunez said.An estimated 60 firefighters responded to this fire, Nunez said. The cause of the fire is unknown.Six people in total lived in the duplex, all of them displaced by the fire, Nunez said.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Two people were sent to the hospital Tuesday morning after a fire destroyed a duplex in North Highlands, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said.
Mark Nunez, a spokesperson for Metro Fire, said when crews arrived at Karm Way near Elkhorn Boulevard around 4 a.m., flames had already spread to much of the duplex. They quickly called for a second alarm, which means more personnel and resources were called in to assist.
A woman was returning home from work when she saw smoke coming from the adjoining unit, Nunez said. She called 911 and began knocking on doors to alert neighbors and ensure her family safely evacuated the home.
A mother and child were taken to the hospital for minor burns and smoke inhalation. Both are reported to be doing well, Nunez said.
An estimated 60 firefighters responded to this fire, Nunez said. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Six people in total lived in the duplex, all of them displaced by the fire, Nunez said.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.
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