Redwood City fire destroys California construction site

An eight-alarm fire ravaged a construction site Monday in California's Bay Area.

More than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze at a six-story affordable housing building in Redwood City. Construction personnel were working on the building at the time, but no injuries were reported, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

So far, around 50 people have been evacuated, authorities said. Authorities set up a temporary evacuation center on Veterans Memorial Senior Centerthe city confirmed on X (formerly Twitter).

Students at Garfield Community School were sent away due to the fire, as advised by school officials, NBC Bay Area reported.

The fire starts on the fifth floor and spreads with the wind

Wind was one of many challenges firefighters faced dealing with the blaze, according to Menlo Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen.

The fire broke out at the north end of the building, on the fifth floor, around 10:15 a.m. local time, Lorenzen said at a news conference. He added that the main obstacles to extinguishing the fire are strong winds and the lack of fire barriers.