An early-morning fire in Buena Park has forced 15 people out of their homes.
The fire broke out at about 1 a.m. in the 7700 block of 10th Street and was knocked down in 51 minutes by more than 40 firefighters, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
“Our crews here were hampered with some challenges such as wires down that were affected by the fire,” said Capt. Thanh Nguyen. “And then also, multiple units involved in fire.”
The OCFA added on Twitter that about $2 million worth of damage was done to the structure, plus another $250,000 to the contents of the units.
Though no injuries were reported, the blaze did spread to a second building, though it remains unclear if the damage to that second structure is included in the dollar amount cited by fire officials.
Fifteen people, four of whom are children, were displaced. One of those forced to leave their homes, Ashley Rodriguez, spoke to KTLA about escaping the blaze.
“It was like swirling black smoke that was coming up through the floor,” she said. “At that point, I panicked and I woke everybody up. We came outside and the apartment downstairs was on fire.”
Chris Hernandez added that when he opened the door, “the whole hallway was full of smoke.”
“I couldn’t believe I couldn’t smell nothing from in my room, but from there, we just grabbed what we could, got my grandchild,” he said.
The OCFA said that “firefighters are working with the Red Cross to provide assistance,” including hotel vouchers.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental, as cooking food was left unattended, officials said.