30 Left Homeless as Anaheim Fires Hit Building Project, Apartments

An early-morning blaze destroyed an Anaheim senior citizens’ complex that was under construction and may have touched off a second fire less than a mile away that left 30 apartment dwellers homeless, officials said today.

The first fire broke out about 12:23 a.m. today at a construction site on the corner of Ball Road and Brookhurst Street. Flames engulfed the framing of the three-story Horizon Village senior citizens’ apartment complex, destroying it, Anaheim city spokeswoman Carolyn Griebe said.

A roof fire was reported at 1:40 a.m. at the Casa Granada apartment complex, 2555 W. Winston Rd., less than a mile from the first fire. The flames soon spread to several apartments in the complex, destroying six apartments and damaging at least six others.

“There is some speculation that the two fires may have been related,” Griebe said. “It may have been an airborne ember from the first fire” that started the second.

Four firefighters received minor cuts, bruises and smoke inhalation in the construction site fire, which caused $900,000 damage, Griebe said.

‘Second One Came In’

“Just as we were starting to release the units on the first one, the second one came in,” said Bob Young, Anaheim Fire Department operations division chief.

About 50 firefighters controlled the Horizon Village fire within 45 minutes, he said.

About 35 firefighters fought the second blaze, which also took about 45 minutes to control and caused an estimated $400,000 damage, Young said.

One person was injured in the Casa Granada fire, a woman who cut her foot as she ran through the complex and knocked on doors to alert residents.

Fire officials said further injuries were prevented because residents in the neighborhood and passers-by knocked on windows and doors to alert sleeping residents.

“My husband heard everybody outside of the building, and he thought it was an earthquake,” said Karrie Serrania, 21, a resident in a second-floor apartment. “I just grabbed my (1-year-old) son, our wallets and some photo albums and got out,” said Serrania.

Serrania said fire raced through her family’s apartment about 30 seconds after they had vacated it. “The windows just started exploding,” she said. “We were planning to move in two weeks,” she said. “I guess everything can be replaced.”

‘Kicking Doors’

Brad McMillan, 27, was walking home at 1:35 a.m. when he noticed a glow and smoke coming from the apartment complex. “There were no fire trucks yet when I got here,” said McMillan, who lives across the street from the complex. “I ran upstairs and started kicking doors to get people out.”

Gail Moore is one of the residents McMillan alerted. “A guy was pounding on our door, and I thought he was trying to break in,” said Moore, 25. “I had heard noises outside for about half an hour, but I didn’t know anything was burning,” she said. Moore and a friend escaped unharmed.

The Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Magnolia High School for the Casa Granada residents early this morning. The residents were allowed to return to the complex about 9 a.m., but about 30 of them were without a place to live.

Owners of the complex, IPS Property Management of Anaheim, were finding vacant apartments at Casa Granada and other complexes they own in Anaheim for the 18 displaced families. Dave Whitmore of IPS said his company would temporarily provide furnished apartments to the families until they can get back on their feet.

Shelter in Hotels

The Red Cross also was providing temporary shelter in local hotels for some of the victims until apartments could be found, spokesman Ben Anlage said.

Thong Le, 34, and his pregnant wife, Emily Ho, were among those waiting for housing this morning.

“My wife is very upset and cried all the time because we didn’t get our marriage album,” said a distraught Le, who escaped the fire wearing only a sweat jacket, a T-shirt, sweat pants, one black sock and black shoe, and one brown sock and brown shoe.

“The fire blew up in the window,” Le said. “We pulled on jackets, and I was in such a rush I pulled on different shoes and socks.”

“I had just bought a new refrigerator, VCR and a TV,” Le said. “We were just getting settled.”

Cause of the construction site fire was not immediately known, but Anaheim Fire Department arson investigators were on the scene this morning, Griebe said.

Times Staff Writer Lucille Renwick contributed to this article.