FREMONT — The families of two women who plummeted to their deaths in a Fremont apartment fire this year have filed lawsuits against the complex’s management, claiming they had no way to escape and their deaths could have been prevented.

Two separate lawsuits filed in Alameda County Superior Court accuse the firm that manages the Waterstone Apartments of negligence and failing to keep the 530-unit apartment complex safe. Two women — 62-year-old Lori Long and 54-year-old Charlotte Holguin — died after falling four stories from Long’s balcony during an April 6 fire that fire officials say erupted sometime around 2:50 a.m.

Meanwhile, newly obtained Fremont Fire Department records show the blaze originated in Long’s apartment and likely started after someone either left a cigarette burning on

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