Students and motorists heading down Mission Boulevard to Carlos Bee Boulevard may have noticed dark plumes of smoke billowing from an apartment fire at Cityview Apartments around noon on Tuesday.

Hayward Fire Department responded to the 11:53 a.m. call to find an unoccupied apartment ablaze and heavy smoke spewing from the building, whose windows had been blown out due to a flashover. Upon arrival, a second alarm was called to respond as the fire quickly spread to neighboring units in the apartment complex at 25200 Carlos Bee Boulevard.

The first engine on scene quickly cut through the roof to release the dangerous buildup of hot smoke. Firefighters were relieved to discover that neither the apartment where the fire originated nor the adjacent units that suffered fire damage were unoccupied.

No injuries to any residents, bystanders or fire personnel were reported.

At 12:20 p.m., the fire was put out. Residents throughout the East Bay reported seeing dark plumes of smoke rising from the scene, according to a Hayward Fire Department spokesman.