LOCAL : Canoga Park Retirement Home Fire Kills 87-Year-Old Man

An 87-year-old man died early this morning in a small fire that broke out in one room of a Canoga Park retirement home, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

An employee at the center suffered from smoke inhalation when she attempted to save the elderly resident. She was treated at a local hospital and released.

The fire was reported at 3:39 a.m. at the Topanga Park Retirement Living Center in the 7900 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Fire Inspector Manny Hernandez said the cause of the fire is believed to be an electrical short, possibly from a reading lamp used by the victim. The fire started near the man’s bed, but he was not a smoker, officials said.

About 20 firefighters quickly extinguished the fire in the second-story room.

The name of the victim, who had lived at the center about two years, was not released pending notification of his family.

Before firefighters arrived, Delores Sevilla, an employee at the center, ran to the smoke-filled room and attempted to enter but was repelled by heavy smoke, said Rich Lamona, administrator of the 9-year-old center.

Sevilla was taken to West Park Hospital in Canoga Park, where she was treated for smoke inhalation.

No other injuries were reported. Lamona said about 25 residents were evacuated from rooms near the fire in a rear wing of the complex. They were allowed back into their rooms in about two hours.

The fire caused an estimated $5,000 damage to the one room, fire officials said. Hernandez said investigators found no fire code violations at the center.