Van Nuys : $40,000 Damage in Apartment Fire

A fire ignited by a roll of paper towels carelessly left atop a toaster caused $40,000 in damage to a Van Nuys apartment complex, authorities said Tuesday.

The 8 p.m. Monday fire at the Woodman Manor, an apartment complex for senior citizens, in the 6700 block of Woodman Avenue, started in a second-story unit, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis.

Residents were evacuated from the three-story apartment complex and were able to return to their units after 35 firefighters extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes, Collis said.

“The smoke detectors warned the more than 100 residents living there,” he said.

Two women were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene and released, Collis said. The woman who lived in the unit where the fire started was taken in by her son who lives nearby, Collis said.