Local News in Brief : Tenants Injured in Apartment Fire
Two tenants were injured and their apartment severely damaged Thursday afternoon in Rancho Palos Verdes when a smoldering cigarette ignited a fire in a bathroom trash can, Los Angeles County firefighters said.
Rescue crews were called to the apartment complex at 5917 Armaga Springs Road at 12:43 p.m. Three fire engines and two paramedic trucks responded, and the fire was extinguished in about half an hour, said Capt. Donald Divin.
One of the apartment’s two tenants reportedly had used a trash can to dispose of a cigarette, which smoldered for about 20 minutes before catching fire, Divin said.
The tenants----Lois McKenney, 51, and her son Mark, 28----tried to douse the fire with a pan of water but the flames spread quickly, Divin said.
The mother and son suffered smoke inhalation and Mark McKenny’s hands were burned as he tried to put out the fire. Both were treated at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
The McKenney apartment sustained $50,000 in damage. An adjoining apartment was also damaged, Divin said.
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