Burbank Family Left Homeless After Fire

A Burbank family was left homeless when a Christmas Eve fire destroyed their apartment, officials said Wednesday.

Firefighters extinguished the flames in the second-floor apartment at 611 E. Verdugo Drive in about 10 minutes, but not before the unit was gutted, dispatcher Mike Hand said.

The family of three, whose identity was not made public, salvaged some presents from the rubble, but was forced to spend the night at a friend’s house, said Katrina Isaacs of the American Red Cross.

Hand said the cause of the fire, which was reported about 10:40 p.m., was under investigation.

It caused $15,000 in damage to the building and $10,000 to the contents of the apartment, he said.