Police briefs

Five Surf City residents were left homeless Saturday after a fire

gutted the roofs and a common wall between their two apartments.

Huntington Beach Fire crews responded to the fire in the 7500 block of

Ellis Avenue just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday, said Bob Culhane of the

Huntington Beach Fire Department. Firefighters had the blaze out by 2

a.m., but not before the apartments were destroyed.

The fire was apparently caused by a problem with the apartment’s gas

delivery system, Culhane said.

One of the families noticed a strange flare burning in their gas

fireplace and tried to turn off the gas line without success, which is

when they called the fire department, he said.

“The smoke detector went off and they realized there was smoke in the

apartment,” Culhane said. “There was gas burning in the walls the whole

time.”

The fire moved up through a common wall between the two apartments and

eventually into the roofs of both apartments, Culhane said.

A man living in the adjacent apartment woke as the Fire Department

arrived and was able to get out, Culhane said.

There were no injuries, and Culhane estimates the fire caused $40,000

in structural damage.