According to BFD, 20- to 30-foot flames reportedly reached exterior walls of the adjacent buildings. “Due to the intensity of the fire, crews initiated a defensive attack strategy from the outside of the building,” said Dafina Dailey, BFD public information officer, in an email. “Aerial ladders, water towers, and large-diameter hose lines were deployed, with water applied from multiple sides of the building to fight the fire.” One evacuee from an apartment building next door estimated that apartment buildings began evacuations between 3 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. The same evacuee recalled watching the fire from a distance. Initially, neither she nor her roommates could tell if the smoke was coming from their building or the EBMC. It was not until firefighters began moving inside and on top of EBMC that they realized their apartment was not on fire. PG&E was also called by BFD to provide firefighters with access to an “underground street vault” so they could turn off all utilities and better...