By Linda Taaffe

A two-alarm fire severely damaged a 12-unit apartment building on California Street in Mountain View last week leaving more than a dozen families temporarily homeless.

As many as 28 people were forced to leave their belongings and homes behind in one of the city’s largest evacuation efforts, according to officials from the Palo Alto Chapter of the American Red Cross who set up an emergency shelter in the city’s Community Center on Rengstorff Avenue.

Mountain View fire investigators said the blaze started in the apartment manager’s upstairs unit at 12:35 p.m., June 27. Firefighters searched the building and evacuated all residents before extinguishing the fire less than a half hour later at 1:13 p.m. The fire destroyed two units and caused about $30,000 to $40,000 in damages.

Fire investigators declared all units of the building to be unsafe until they could further survey the building. Six families were able to return home five days later on July 2 after the building department deemed the structure safe. The remaining units may not be habitable for another three to six months.

Lynn Brown, spokesman for the Office of Emergency Services, said investigators determined that the fire started in the kitchen.

Six volunteers were on site to assist victims out of the complex during the fire and another six were available at the temporary evacuation center set up at Rengstorff Park, said Rita Hawkins, associate director of disaster services for the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross distributed food vouchers and medical prescriptions to victims and placed four families in hotels following the fire. The other families chose to stay with relatives, Hawkins said.

Hawkins said the complex included a mix of residents, including families with young children, adult couples and senior citizens. The Red Cross plans to help those residents who may have to look elsewhere for housing with rental assistance.