A five-alarm pre-dawn blaze raced through a two-story apartment building in Tustin Wednesday, displacing dozens of residents, two of whom suffered smoke inhalation.
The fire was reported at 3:01 a.m. at Chatham Village apartments at 15751 Williams St., near McFadden Avenue, and wasn’t fully extinguished until 8:04 a.m., according to the Orange County Fire Authority. The cause of the blaze, which caused the roof to collapse, was under investigation.
One resident was initially listed as missing, but was later located, said OCFA Capt. Tony Bommarito. He said 62 residents sought shelter and services from the American Red Cross.
Bommarito said the first firefighters on the scene encountered heavy fire on the first floor that quickly extended to the second floor and the attic.
“That’s how that fire traveled so quickly,” he said. “We had roof collapse in about 24 minutes, which is very quick for a building of this size.”
The entire building is “pretty much a loss,” as even the lower units not affected by flames are “uninhabitable” due to water and smoke damage, Bommarito said, adding that about 120 firefighters battled the flames.
A man found suffering from smoke inhalation was taken to a hospital, and a woman was treated at the scene. Both were described as senior citizens.
Police went unit to unit to alert residents as the flames quickly spread through the complex, which has 38 units.
“I woke up and I looked out the back yard and there was (flames). The cops were banging on our door, saying, `Get out, there’s a fire,'” 13-year-old Angelina Gonzalez told NBC4. “All our stuff was in there. I got my dogs, and I ran out.”
The Tustin Police Department announced about 5 a.m. that displaced residents could meet with Red Cross workers at 1952 E. McFadden Ave. in Santa Ana. “Residents in need will then be relocated to a more permanent location in the city of Tustin,” according to the department’s Twitter post.