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Woman Burned but Escapes Fire

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

A woman was hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns Saturday after an early morning electrical fire caused an estimated $70,000 in damage, authorities said.

The blaze broke out just before 5 a.m. in a bedroom on a second-floor apartment at 26571 Normandale Drive, apparently because of a frayed wire on an electric blanket, said Maria Sabol, spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Department.

Apartment resident Nancy Gufstafson,48, escaped the apartment after calling fire officials, Sabol said.

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“Her smoke detector went off and she woke up. . . . That smoke detector saved her life. She was very lucky,” Sabol said.

Gufstafson suffered second- and third-degree burns on her legs and was taken to a hospital, fire officials said. Her condition could not be determined late Saturday.

Thirty-five firefighters in five units put out the blaze in about 20 minutes. But the fire destroyed Gufstafson’s apartment and caused some smoke damage to apartments near it, Sabol said.

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