WINNETKA : Family of 7 Left Homeless by Fire
A fire raced through a Winnetka apartment Thursday, displacing a family of seven, authorities said.
The American Red Cross was attempting to find shelter for Thomas Valenzuela, his wife, his sister and four children who lived in the 64-unit building in the 7300 block of Corbin Avenue, apartment manager Nancy Long said.
Valenzuela’s sister and two of the children were home when the children apparently noticed the fire in the bedroom about 12:20 p.m., said Efrain Ramirez, who was visiting the apartment at the time.
Neighbors heard their screams. One neighbor tried to douse the flames with buckets of water while another grabbed a fire extinguisher, but they could not put out the blaze, Ramirez said.
Ramirez said he carried the children out while other neighbors banged on doors to alert residents to evacuate.
No one was injured. Sixteen firefighters extinguished the blaze within 17 minutes, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Paul Gutierrez said.
The fire did about $70,000 damage, Gutierrez said. The cause was under investigation.
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