25 Displaced by Fire at Apartments

A fire, perhaps begun by an outdoor barbecue, swept through a 12-unit apartment complex Monday, severely damaging several dwellings and displacing 25 residents, a city fire spokesman said.

Two Los Angeles Police officers were treated at the scene after inhaling smoke from the fast-moving fire, according to Lt. Len Hundshamer of the LAPD’s North Hollywood Division.

No other injuries were reported as a result of the blaze, which broke out about 4:30 p.m. and caused about $200,000 in damage to the two-story apartment building in the 13100 block of Vanowen Street, according to Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

“Firefighters arrived to find flames shooting up from the ground floor to a second-story balcony in the rear of the building,” Humphrey said. “But the fire was confined to that section of the apartment building and extinguished in just 20 minutes.”

About 100 firefighters from 20 fire companies were called to extinguish the blaze, Humphrey said.

The unusually high number of firefighters called was a precautionary move, given the gusty winds that could have caused flames to spread out of control, he said.

The Fire Department declared the fire under control about 4:55 p.m., but not before flames gutted a ground-floor apartment and several other units on the second floor.

In the aftermath of the blaze, 15 adults and 10 children could not return to their homes Monday. They received assistance from the American Red Cross.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, Humphrey said. Investigators were looking into whether a barbecue ignited the blaze while being used on a balcony or indoors, he said.