Fire Causes $10,000 in Damage to Apartment

More than two dozen firefighters battled an apartment blaze in Anaheim early Tuesday, keeping the fire contained to one unit, fire officials said.

The fire, at the Empire Street Apartments in the 1200 block of Empire Street, was reported at 5:47 a.m. Flames and smoke were visible from the street when firefighters arrived.

It took about 15 minutes to control the blaze, which caused $10,000 in damage. The fire is under investigation, officials said.

The blaze occurred at a time when regional strike teams had been sent north to help battle the blaze near Malibu, said John Shope, communications shift supervisor for the Metro Cities network, which handles dispatching for seven Orange County fire departments, including Anaheim.

But those strike teams had already been replaced by off-duty staff and plenty of firefighters were available to attack the apartment fire, Shope said.

“In no time were we at dangerous staffing levels,” he said. “We’re not going to put our citizens at risk in these situations.”