Six-Alarm Fire Destroys Foster City Condo Building: More Than 50 Households Displaced, Firefighters Injured
A six-alarm fire destroyed a condominium building at 815 Sea Spray Lane in the Spinnaker Cove complex in Foster City, San Mateo County, California, on Sunday, August 2, and the building was later red-tagged and sealed. According to a San Mateo-Foster City school district education foundation, the fire displaced more than 50 households.
In an August 5 joint statement, the City of Foster City and the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department said the fire had been extinguished and its source was still under investigation at that time; the building was red-tagged, fenced off and closed to all entry, with crews remaining on site to assist investigators and manage lingering smoke. An American Red Cross shelter at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center operated through the evening of August 4, before transitioning to a Local Assistance Center connecting victims with service providers and aid resources.
On August 6, the Foster City Police Department announced the arrest of a Foster City resident: investigators determined the fire was caused by an unattended gas grill on an exterior first-floor balcony. The suspect, whose name was not released, was booked into San Mateo County Jail on allegations of Penal Code 452(a), unlawfully causing a fire resulting in injury to firefighters, 148(a)(1), obstructing a police investigation, and 148.2, willfully resisting or delaying a fire investigation. Firefighters were injured during suppression and rescue operations and received medical treatment; no residents were injured. City Manager Stefan Chatwin thanked firefighters, police and partner agencies for their heroic efforts and praised the outpouring of community support.
On September 4, the U.S. Small Business Administration issued Disaster Declaration Nos. 21851 and 21852 (California Disaster CA-20046), covering an incident period of August 2-3, with San Mateo County as the primary county and Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties as contiguous counties. Affected homeowners and renters became eligible for low-interest disaster loans to repair or replace damaged property, with a physical-loan application deadline of November 3, 2026, and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan deadline of June 4, 2027. An SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center operated at the City Hall Emergency Operations Center in Foster City until October 15.
(Source: City of Foster City)
Source: City of Foster City
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州消防人员在火场作业（加州消防局官方照片，资料图，非本事件现场）。 / Photo: Firefighters at work (CAL FIRE official photo, file photo, not this incident).
