Tarzana Woman Trapped by Flames Dies in Apartment

A fast-moving fire killed a woman who tried to shield herself in the back of a one-room studio apartment that had no rear window, authorities said Thursday.

Martha Hernandez, 53, was found dead under a mattress after firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze that destroyed or damaged four apartments.

No one else was injured.

“The only way to get out was the front door,” Los Angeles Fire Battalion Chief Mark Jones said. “She tried to hide behind the bed and hoped for the best. The poor lady didn’t have a second means and that probably resulted in her death.”

The cause of the death is under investigation, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Gloria Moran, who lives below the gutted unit, heard Hernandez screaming for help. Moran rushed outside to see heavy smoke and flames fanning over the roof.

“It was terrible,” she said as she watched firefighters. “I was so nervous because I never saw that amount of smoke before. I just wanted to get me and my [9-month-old] baby boy out of there.”

A neighbor reported the blaze about 9:20 a.m. Nine fire engines responded to the 50-unit apartment complex in the 5900 block of Reseda Boulevard.

Jones said the fire started in the kitchen area at the front of Hernandez’s unit. Authorities said Hernandez probably feared jumping through the scorching flames and opted to cover herself with a mattress.

The victim lived in one of the few apartments that didn’t have a rear window, reducing her chances of escape, authorities said.

“The unit was designed perfectly for a disaster if a fire starts in the kitchen,” Jones said. “If she tried for the door, the flames would have been more than 1,000 degrees.”

Jones said that, despite the design, the apartment did not appear to violate city building and safety rules.

The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes. Damage is estimated at more than $200,000, authorities said.

Several residents, including Moran, were moved to a Red Cross shelter.

Investigators said Hernandez’s unit was equipped with a smoke detector, but they did not know if it was working at the time of the fire.

Building inspectors have visited the apartment complex nine times over the past 10 years, most recently in August 1996. Officials from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety said there are no outstanding violations at the complex.

Records show there have been minor problems over the past decade. Residents complained about deteriorating walls, defective electrical outlets and faulty wiring. Apartment management has complied with the safety department’s recommendations, records indicate.

Hernandez lived alone in the studio, and her son had an apartment nearby.

“There wasn’t much anyone could do,” said Miguel Villa, who was visiting a friend at the complex. “It happened so fast.”

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Sandoval is a Times staff writer and Risling is a correspondent.