SAN CLEMENTE : Fire Victims to Receive Housing

Thirty-four people left temporarily homeless when their apartment building caught on fire Sunday will be provided with housing by the building’s owner, the American Red Cross said.

The cause of the 1:10 p.m. fire is still under investigation. Fire Capt. Ed Garrode said he is waiting for lab results before deciding if the fire was arson.

The fire gutted two apartments in the two-story, four-unit building in the 100 block of Escalones Street. According to witnesses, the fire started on a ground-floor apartment and moved quickly to a second-floor apartment and onto another building before firefighters put it out.

The two gutted apartments are not inhabitable, Garrode said. However, he said, the two other apartments were not affected.

Red Cross spokeswoman Judy Iannaccone said the owner of the building will provide housing for the five families affected beginning today. She said that in the interim, the Red Cross has been providing shelter, food and clothing at a local hotel.

She said Goodwill Industries has provided the clothing.