3 Die in Residential Blazes

Three people were killed and seven injured in three separate residential fires in Los Angeles County over the weekend.

An elderly couple suffocated in their Topanga Canyon home after it was engulfed in smoke Saturday evening, authorities said.

On Sunday, a 40-year-old man died and four people were injured in a Van Nuys house fire, and three people were seriously hurt in an apartment blaze south of downtown L.A.

Firefighters pulled Angela and Henry “Pete” Lunn from their home in the 600 block of Topanga Canyon Saturday night, but rescue crews were unable to resuscitate them. The cause of the blaze, which was reported at 8:06 p.m., is under investigation, officials said.

Neighbors said the Lunns lived in their picturesque cottage -- tucked between trees and the steep canyon slopes -- for half a century. Henry, 83, was preparing a celebration for Angela, who would have turned 96 today, said Randy Tolentino, the couple’s caretaker.

“She was very proud she caught herself a young dude,” said Sharon Siegel, a neighbor for 34 years.

Before retiring over a decade ago, Henry Lunn worked in NBC’s music department, neighbors said. He was afflicted with polio as a child, but only in recent years did he require a wheelchair.

“He was a very independent guy,” said neighbor Nelson Yardley.

Having lost use of his legs, Lunn rigged his cars so that he could accelerate and brake with his hands. He also built a patio using a pulley system to lift rocks into place.

“He built it on his hands and knees,” Seigel said.

Angela Lunn is a native of London who survived the Blitz during World War II. Neighbors said she still had a British accent even though she had lived in the U.S. for more than 50 years.

The two never had children, but owned many pets over the years. The fire also claimed the lives of their dachshund and Chihuahua.

Investigators are also seeking the cause of a fire in the 15300 block of Archwood Street In Van Nuys that killed a 40-year-old man early Sunday.

The man, whose name was not released, was found inside the house and was not breathing, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. The victim was taken to Valley Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The other four victims were taken to area hospitals with mild to serious injuries. The fire was extinguished in 15 minutes, authorities said.

South of downtown L.A., a 40-year-old woman, a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man were seriously hurt in a two-story residential building fire.

About 140 Los Angeles firefighters worked for more than an hour to put out the blaze that destroyed a Victorian-style house that had been converted into apartments in the 1000 block of West 24th Street.

The victims were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital. The woman and the boy were in critical condition with burns to their faces and hands, and the man was in serious condition, also with burn injuries, Humphrey said.

Fire spread quickly through the structure -- which officials estimated to be about 100 years old -- because of old construction and cluttered conditions within the building, Humphrey said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. Police took one resident of the building into custody for questioning, Humphrey said.