30 Homeless, $1.3-Million Damage in Fires

An early morning fire destroyed an Anaheim senior citizens complex under construction and is believed to have sparked a second blaze on a shake roof less than a mile away, leaving more than 30 people homeless and causing an estimated $1.3 million in damage, authorities said Monday.

Some of the sleeping residents of the Casa Granada apartment complex were awakened by booming sounds and billowing clouds of smoke, while others were alerted by neighbors and passers-by who pounded on doors during the 1:40 a.m. blaze.

Six second-floor apartments were gutted by the fire, and at least six others were damaged, causing about $400,000 in damage, Anaheim fire officials said.

One woman who helped evacuate residents cut her foot when she kicked in a window at the apartment fire.

And four firefighters were treated for minor cuts, bruises and smoke inhalation in the construction site fire, Anaheim fire officials said.

More than 30 residents of the complex in the 2500 block of West Winston Road have been relocated to other apartments or temporary shelter.

Many had only the clothing on their backs and those few articles they could gather before fleeing.

The first blaze broke out about 12:23 a.m. at a construction site at 2200 Colchester Drive, near the intersection of Ball Road and Brookhurst Street. Flames engulfed the framing of what was to have been the Horizon Village senior citizens apartment complex, causing about $900,000 in damage, Anaheim fire officials said.

The cause of the fire at the construction site is under investigation, Anaheim city spokeswoman Carolyn Griebe said.

Embers from that fire may have touched off the second fire at the apartment complex, which is less than a mile away, Griebe said, adding that flames then spread quickly across the shake roofs of the complex.

According to Anaheim Fire Department operations division chief Bob Young, about 50 firefighters controlled the Horizon Village fire within 45 minutes, and 35 firefighters fought the second blaze, which also took about 45 minutes to control.

“Just as we were starting to release the units on the first one, the second one came in,” Young said.

Fire officials said efforts by neighbors and passers-by prevented serious injuries in the apartment complex fire.

Brad McMillan, 27, was walking home from the Club Coronado Bar, around the corner from the Casa Granada complex, about 1:35 a.m. when he noticed a glow of flames and smoke coming from the apartment complex.

“There were no fire trucks yet when I got here,” said McMillan, who lives across the street from the complex. “I ran upstairs and started kicking doors to get people out.”

Gail Moore is one resident McMillan alerted. “A guy was pounding on our door, and I thought he was trying to break in,” she said. “I had heard noises outside for about half an hour, but I didn’t know anything was burning.” Moore, 25, and a friend fled the fire.

Passers-By Awakened People

Two passers-by from Garden Grove--Brett Miller, 18, and Patrick Long, 21--also helped to awaken sleeping residents at the apartment complex.

“People were pretty much sound asleep,” said David Serrania, whose second-floor apartment was destroyed by the fire. “If it wasn’t for the guys running up and down the balcony, we probably would have been hurt.

“When we first got outside, the fire engines still hadn’t arrived, and people were still running out of their apartments to the street.”

Serrania said he was awakened by loud noises that he thought signaled another earthquake. But when he noticed clouds of smoke billowing outside his bedroom window, he said he awakened his wife, Karrie, grabbed their 13-month-old son, David Matthew, and hurried out of the apartment.

“I just grabbed my son, our wallets and some photo albums and got out,” Karrie Serrania said.

In Time by 30 Seconds

About 30 seconds later, fire raced through Serrania’s apartment, destroying it.

“The windows just started exploding,” said Serrania, who fled in a blue robe and stocking feet.

“We were only able to save the things that were sitting by the door,” said Moore, whose apartment was destroyed. “I was lucky I put out my fiance’s suit for his first day at work (Monday).”

Thong Le and his wife, Emily Ho, who is 4 1/2 months pregnant, also lost nearly everything. “My wife is very upset and cried all the time because we didn’t get our marriage album,” said Le, who escaped from the fire wearing only a T-shirt, sweat pants and a pair of shoes--one black and one brown.

“I had just bought a new refrigerator, VCR and a television,” said Le, who got married 6 months ago. “We were just getting settled.”

Evacuation Center Opened

The county chapter of the American Red Cross opened an evacuation center at nearby Magnolia High School for the Casa Granada residents early Monday morning. Casa Granada residents were allowed to return to the complex about 9 a.m.

The owner of the complex, I.P.S. Property Management, has provided housing for most of the displaced families in apartments still intact in the Casa Granada complex and the Singing Tree apartment complex on Ball Road in Anaheim. A spokesman for I.P.S. said the company will temporarily furnish evacuees apartments for 1 month.

Red Cross officials said they also are providing the families with clothes, food, and linens.

Karrie Serrania said she and her husband had been preparing to move into a larger apartment in about 2 weeks: “We were moving because we had so much stuff. Now, we have nothing.”

Times staff writer Lucille Renwick also contributed to this story.