Burn Victims’ Kin Try to Cope

The festive centerpieces, the plentiful food. None of it could hide the raw emotion about 30 people felt Monday as they gathered for Christmas dinner, not at home but in a hospital cafeteria.

There, friends, family and relatives of Juan Jimenez of Santa Ana, Barry Ellegaard of Laguna Niguel and Armando Mesa of Garden Grove tried to come to terms with the events that had put the three men in the San Fernando Valley’s Grossman Burn Center in critical condition.

The three, who all worked for Ellegaard Custom Finishing, a painting contractor, were severely burned Thursday after a halogen lamp ignited lacquer fumes on the 23rd floor of a condominium near the UCLA campus.

The flames were quickly doused by sprinklers in the 26-story building that includes the residences of actors Rodney Dangerfield and Charlie Sheen. Five workers were injured, however, including two being treated at other hospitals.

The three at the burn center were heavily sedated Monday and were breathing with the help of respirators. They had all undergone surgery over the weekend and are scheduled for more operations in the coming weeks to prepare them for skin grafts.

It was not the kind of Christmas that Eric Ellegaard, Barry’s brother, wanted to spend. But he and the others who gathered at the hospital said they were grateful for the dinner donated by the Smokehouse Restaurant in Burbank, and appreciative of the outpouring of community support.

“We’re glad to be here with Barry,” he said. “We had about 70 people give blood on Saturday and we’re happy. Everything that can be done for him is being done.”

Another brother, Grant Ellegaard of Laguna Beach, said the three injured men were no more than a half hour from quitting time when the accident occurred.

He had been at the building earlier that day, handing out paychecks to the workers.

“It’s a nightmare for all of us,” he said.