Seal Beach Fire Kills Man, Guts Apartments

A 71-year-old man died early Friday in a fire that gutted two apartments in Seal Beach’s Leisure World retirement community.

The blaze began in Cornelius Vander Dussen’s apartment in the 1200 block of Scioto Road about 5 a.m. and spread to an apartment next door, said Capt. Stephen Miller of the Orange County Fire Authority. After the blaze was extinguished, firefighters found his body inside.

A woman in the second unit was awakened by her smoke alarm and called 911, saying she couldn’t get out. A Seal Beach police officer who arrived ahead of firefighters led her to safety, Miller said.

“She could see smoke, see the flames and she was scared to death,” Miller said.

Vander Dussen’s neighbors rushed to wake residents in adjoining apartments.

“Flames were shooting up in the air,” said Marjorie Dodero, 63, who grabbed a fire extinguisher from her home before alerting residents. “We got everybody out, and now they’re in our homes and we’re fixing breakfast and coffee for everyone.”

Authorities were still investigating the fire, which caused about $260,000 in damage.

Vander Dussen was known in the community as “Farmer John” because he operated dairy farms in Cerritos and Artesia before they became bedroom communities. He had six children, 25 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

“He was a nice guy. He was always helping neighbors, driving little old ladies to the doctor, things like that,” Dodero said. “A lot of people are broken up about losing him.”