Woman Dies From Burns Sustained in Blaze : Fires: The incident in Yorba Linda preceded another one in Irvine that started when a Christmas tree broke out in flames, injuring two people.

An 85-year-old Yorba Linda woman died from burns sustained over 70% of her body during a fire which led to the evacuation of a senior citizens’ apartment complex early Saturday morning.

Two hours later, a 4-year-old and his father were injured and their family left homeless in Irvine as a result of a fire that started in a Christmas tree and engulfed their house.

According to fire officials, the Yorba Linda fire broke out at 5:33 a.m. at the Villa Pacifica Apartments, a housing complex for elderly residents in the 18000 block of Lemon Drive. Matilda Tuohy apparently was asleep in her second-floor apartment when her electric blanket caught fire, rapidly igniting her blankets and trapping her amid heavy flames and smoke. When firefighters arrived, Tuohy was lying on the carpet near her bed, not breathing, fire officials said.

“Apparently, she tried to get out because she was found on the floor of her own bedroom,” Orange County Fire Capt. Dan Young said. “They (paramedics) found her and were able to resuscitate her.”

But Tuohy died at 3:44 p.m. at UCI Medical Center’s burn unit in Orange.

The fire at the complex of two-story buildings forced about 20 elderly residents outdoors before dawn while firefighters battled the stubborn blaze.

“It was quite frightening,” said Joy Barber, who was among those evacuated. “Once I got down the steps there were flames coming over the window and up by the roof.”

Officials estimate the fire caused $70,000 in damage, including smoke and heat damage to two neighboring apartments.

Young said investigators are trying to determine whether a smoke detector in Tuohy’s apartment sounded when the fire broke out. He said fire officials have not determined what caused the electric blanket to malfunction.

Two hours after the Yorba Linda fire, an Irvine family barely escaped with their lives when their Christmas tree caught fire in the living room, creating an inferno that engulfed their home within minutes.

“No one in the house even had time to call 911,” Young said. “(The) mom said the fire started in the back of the tree and the whole thing just exploded.”

Kathy O’Connor, who was sitting on a couch about 20 feet from the tree, had just enough time to grab her 2-year-old son and run outside, fire officials said. The toddler had been sitting next to the tree when the fire started.

One neighbor said he ran to get a garden hose as he watched flames shooting from the windows.

“She (O’Connor) was yelling, ‘Phil (O’Connor, her husband) is still inside!’ but then I heard Phil say, ‘I’m all right!’ ” said Lee Ennis, a neighbor. “You could just see the flames taking off.”

Moments later, Philip O’Connor, 40, grabbed the couple’s 4-year-old son, Philip Jr., and climbed out a second-floor window, fire officials said. He suffered second-degree burns on his hands and back, while Philip Jr. suffered minor burns on his hands. Philip O’Connor received outpatient treatment at the Irvine Medical Center. Philip Jr. was being treated at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

Officials are investigating how the Christmas tree caught fire.

The family lost everything inside the house, including all the newly opened Christmas gifts cherished by the children, Young said.

So, on Saturday afternoon, county firefighters delivered a load of belated Christmas presents to the two young O’Connor boys.

“The kids were devastated. Their toys were completely gone,” Young said. “So we delivered these to boost their spirits.”

The toys--including stuffed animals and a tricycle for the 2-year-old, a train set and a bicycle for the 4-year-old, and lots of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas and clothes--came from Operation Santa Claus, an annual program that county firefighters run with the county Social Services Department. The toys usually are delivered to children at Orangewood, the county’s home for abused and neglected children, on the day before Christmas, but this year there were some late donations at several fire stations, Young said.

After the O’Connor blaze, the firefighters rounded up appropriate gifts from the late donations. The first delivery, in a firetruck, was made to the 2-year-old, who was with family friends in the neighborhood. Later, the firefighters took gifts--including a blanket, to replace Philip Jr.’s treasured object, which burned--to the youngster at Children’s Hospital.

According to neighbors, the O’Connors’ two older children were away in Florida visiting grandparents.

“They (O’Connors) said if they had been home they would have never been able to get them out,” Ennis said. “Their dog got stuck inside and died.”

Young estimated damage to the home in the 15000 block of Vichy Circle at $465,000.

Fire officials said the blaze was the eighth this holiday season started by a Christmas tree catching fire.