East Bay family displaced on day it moved into new apartment

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KRON) — An East Bay father is looking to turn a new leaf — as he is stuck in temporary housing after his new apartment in San Leandro burned down.

The fire happened the day he moved into his new apartment on Marina Boulevard.

Television sets, furniture, and a lifetime collection of signed sports memorabilia all up in smoke.

“In an instant, we lost everything,” Adam Rochelle said.

On Friday, Rochelle and his two teenage sons were in the process of moving into their new apartment in San Leandro — when he heard a fire alarm and saw flames in the kitchen.

“My eldest son had put in his mattress in the house, and then all of a sudden we heard the beep, beep, beep,” Rochelle said. “‘Oh, shoot, where is that coming from?’ Then we realized it was coming from our apartment.”

He says that when one of his sons attempted to break open the fire extinguisher, it was too late.
The entire unit was engulfed in flames. All three escaped without injury and so did their dog.

Rochelle, who makes money as a mobile notary, says the Alameda County Fire Department worked hard to put the fire out.

“Luckily, they were able to get my son’s backpack with his glasses cause he can’t see without them,” Rochelle said. “And, my notary gear and my laptop were luckily saved cause the fire department was able to get that for me, other than that I wouldn’t be able to work.”

Rochelle just separated from his wife and is in the process of getting a divorce, and this was supposed to be a fresh start.

“That was the first day of our new lives together. We were starting a new life,” Rochelle said.

Rochelle started an online fundraiser to help him and his sons get back on their feet.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“Gotta think positively — I didn’t need that crap. I have my kids, my dog. No one got hurt, so everything can be replaced,” Rochelle said.

Meanwhile, Rochelle and his sons are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.
Rochelle is also working with the property manager to recoup the $4,000 in move-in costs he paid before the fire.