An apartment building on Santa Clara Avenue in Oakland, Calif., caught fire on Friday morning. 

Eight-five older adults were rescued from the hallways, stairwells and balconies of a six-story senior living facility engulfed in flames in Oakland on Friday morning, officials said.

All 85 residents were treated on scene, mainly for smoke inhalation; two residents and one firefighter were taken to a local hospital for more severe smoke inhalation and are expected to survive, Reginald Freeman, chief of the Oakland Fire Department, told SFGATE on the phone. 

"If it were not for the action of our firefighters there would have been numerous fatalities," Freeman said. 

The blaze started in an apartment building on Santa Clara Avenue near Lake Merritt at 5:51 a.m. and quickly progressed to a four-alarm fire, the fire department said.

Sixteen engines and 80 firefighters responded to the blaze, Freeman said.

Freeman said the fire started when a blanket resting on a couch caught fire from a sparking power strip. The fire quickly consumed the couch and as flames spread, the resident left the apartment and didn't close the door. Freeman said this allowed the fire to spread to the rest of the building.

SF | United adds big, nonstop flight to European destination from SFO Oakland | Famed barbecue spot faces money woes, unsafe work allegations Bay Area | Comedy legend announces two Northern California stadium shows Calif. | The Calif. artist fighting for her place in 'Star Wars' history

The property was last inspected by the department on Oct. 7 and passed inspection, Freeman said.

The residents of the facility are being relocated to new housing, Michael Hunt, a spokesperson for the fire department, told SFGATE.

The fire was under control by 7:24 a.m.

This is a developing story and details will be added as they become available.

Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and got her start in news at the Daily Californian newspaper at UC Berkeley where she majored in English literature. She has been with SFGATE for more than 10 years. You can email her at agraff@sfgate.com.