Fire Ravages Affordable Housing Complex in Redwood City, Development Team Vows to Rebuild
The North Fair Oaks community's hopes for affordable housing suffered a major setback on Monday when a fire gutted a building part of a larger housing complex currently under construction on the 2700 block of Middlefield Road. Scott Smith, the director of James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation, the development firm behind the project, revealed to NBC Bay Area the extent of the damage, underscoring that the fire completely demolished building B, reducing 104 of the 179 planned units to rubble. He shared their commitment to rebuild, stating, "This has been devastating to us and much more traumatic than was expected."
While the loss is a hard hit for the community's affordable housing efforts, the silver lining remained that no lives were lost in the blaze, which reportedly took firefighters three hours to get under control. The construction site was bustling with activity at the time of the fire, with some 130 workers present who, along with nearby residents, were all evacuated safely. San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus credited the swift and decisive actions of Sheriff's Office personnel and firefighters for the miraculous outcome, saying on X that "it is truly a miracle that no one was injured and we have all of our emergency responders to thank for that."
Statement from San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus following the #NorthFairOaksFire: pic.twitter.com/WQzKt50jBP
— San Mateo County Sheriff's Office (@SMCSheriff) June 4, 2024
The Middlefield Junction project, a partnership between the developer and Mercy Housing, aims to provide low-income housing solutions within the community. Despite the fire, sentiment among project leaders remains resilient. Warren Slocum, President of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, vocalized his resolve to NBC Bay Area in the aftermath of the fire, iterating both his and the developer's unwavering dedication to the project: "Me and the developer are 100% committed to rebuilding for those families that will eventually occupy that affordable housing unit."
In the face of calamity, the determination to press on underscores the critical nature of affordable housing in Redwood City's plans; the Middlefield Junction project is not just infrastructure. It's a lifeline for families in need of a home they can afford in that the plans and hope for these future habitation spaces remain firmly in place, and although setback by the fiery ordeal, the project is poised to move forward once a thorough investigation of the incident concludes, Smith told NBC Bay Area, reflecting on the necessity to be ever-vigilant against such disasters, "Be prepared for emergencies like a fire. Be prepared."
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