Woman Dies in Apartment Fire

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 extinguished the blaze that destroyed or damaged four apartments.

“The only way to get out was the front door,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Jones. “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.”

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 around 9:20 a.m. Nine fire engines responded to the 50-unit apartment complex in the 5900 block of Reseda Avenue. No one else was injured.

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

She lived in one of the few apartments that didn’t have a rear window.

“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 was estimated at more than $200,000, authorities said. Several residents, including Moran, were displaced by the fire and were moved to a Red Cross shelter.

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 who lived at the complex. “It happened so fast.”