Tenant Injured in Apartment Fire

One man was injured as fire damaged two apartments before dawn Friday, officials said.

Robert Tautrim, 49, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange suffering from smoke inhalation and facial burns, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Tautrim escaped from his burning apartment through a sliding glass door. He was released from the hospital a few hours later.

A fire investigator said the blaze began at a heater built into the wall of a ground-floor apartment unit at 8602 Chapman Avenue. But the heater was so badly damaged in the intense heat that it was unclear what may have malfunctioned, said Capt. Bill Dumas.

Heaters throughout the apartment complex were checked last year, Dumas said.

The apartment above Tautrim’s was also severely damaged, but its two occupants were not injured, Dumas said. Total damage was estimated at $130,000.

Fire officials evacuated about 25 people from the apartment complex.

After the fire blew out the windows in Tautrim’s ground-floor apartment, flames shot into the upper unit, where they ignited a Christmas tree and spread, fire officials and witnesses said.

Huge flames “were shooting out the windows of the bottom apartment and into the windows of the upstairs apartment,” said apartment resident Dian Moss.

Fire officials are continuing their investigation.