ANAHEIM : Fire Forces 31 to Flee Apartment Complex

A fire that might have been caused by faulty wiring raced through six units of an apartment complex early Wednesday, forcing 31 people to flee the building, firefighters reported.

No one was injured in the fire, which started about 2 a.m. It caused an estimated $140,000 in damage to the building at the end of a cul-de-sac in the 900 block of Arden Place.

Division Chief Steve Magliocco said that flames quickly spread to the sloped, shake roof of the single-story complex and a common attic, where it caused some difficulties for firefighters.

“Unfortunately (in this situation) roofs are designed to keep water out, and so it was hard to fight the flames underneath,” Magliocco said.

Many residents in the tan stucco building said they were not aware that a fire was raging in the large attic area over their homes. Resident Ramiro Luna, 24, however, realized that the building was on fire.

“I went running from door to door pounding hard to wake people up,” he said Wednesday afternoon as he stood by the window of his damaged kitchen.

Magliocco said it took 25 firefighters about 30 minutes to put out the blaze, which had fully engulfed the roof by the time the first engine companies arrived.

Investigators suspect that the cause of the fire was electrical, but they have not been able to confirm those suspicions, Magliocco said. “It could be a short or an appliance; we’re not sure,” he said.

Meanwhile, Red Cross workers found temporary housing in a nearby motel for some displaced residents, including 10 children, said Red Cross spokeswoman Judy Iannaccone.

On Wednesday afternoon, many of the residents gathered on the lawn next to the apartment complex, waiting to retrieve their belongings from the damaged units.

“We’re just happy that no one got hurt. That’s the most important thing,” Rufino Pineda, 32, said. He has lived in the building for a year with his wife, Blanca, his son and two friends.

Marilyn Silverstein, who owns the complex, said that she did not know what caused the fire and that her company was trying to find temporary housing for those forced out of their homes.