Santa Ana Family of 5 Homeless After Blaze Destroys Apartment

A fire that started when a teen-age girl accidentally dropped a smoking pot of meat completely gutted a Santa Ana apartment Friday, leaving a family of five homeless, Santa Ana Fire Department spokesmen said.

No one was injured in the fire, which was reported at 5:27 p.m. and caused damage estimated at $20,000 to the apartment in the 1000 block of Grant Avenue, Santa Ana Fire Department Capt. Barry Cupples said. There was another $10,000 to $15,000 damage to contents, he said.

A 16-year-old girl who lives there was the only person in the apartment when the fire started. The Red Cross will find accommodations for members of the family for three days while they make other living arrangements, Cupples said.

The fire began by accident, Battalion Chief Tom Skelly said, when the girl left a pot of food unattended and went upstairs in the two-story unit. When alerted by a smoke alarm, the girl came downstairs and tried to carry the smoking pot outdoors, he said.

However, she dropped the pot and spilled its contents onto a bed, which was ignited by flames from the meat, Cupples said. The girl ran from the apartment and telephoned for help, but by the time firefighters arrived the unit was in flames.