GLENDALE : Man Dies in Fire at Apartment Unit

An unidentified Mexican national who was staying with a friend died early Wednesday when flames that may have been ignited by a smoldering cigarette engulfed a second-floor Glendale apartment, authorities said.

The victim, whose name will not be released until family members are notified, was watching television in the living room shortly before 4 a.m. when the fire began in the bedroom of the apartment in the 1400 block of East Maple Street, said Officer Rodney Brooks of the Glendale Police Department. The victim and his friend, who had been asleep, tried twice to douse the flames with buckets of water before the friend decided to flee.

“He said, ‘Let’s get out of here!’ a couple of times to the victim,” Brooks said.

The friend, whose name was not released, escaped from the apartment down a back staircase, believing the victim was behind him, Brooks said.

“He didn’t realize his friend didn’t get out until they found his body inside the apartment,” Brooks said.

The friend was treated at a local hospital for a burn to his foot and smoke inhalation, Brooks said.

The fire caused an estimated $90,000 damage to the apartment and its contents, authorities said.

It took nine firefighters about 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Brooks said.