Man is in critical condition after fire

One man suffered life-threatening burns and another man was rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at an apartment building for seniors in Costa Mesa on Thursday night.

The man who lives in the apartment that the blaze destroyed at Bethel Towers, 666 W. 19th St., was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana in critical condition, Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Keith Jones said. One of the man’s neighbors was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, but his smoke-inhalation-related injuries were not considered life-threatening, Jones said.

Firefighters responded to the two-alarm blaze at 7:26 p.m. and managed to put it out in 15 minutes. Many of the neighbors managed to escape on their own, but firefighters had to help some residents evacuate, Jones said.

The blaze consumed the apartment and everything in it, Jones said. Arson investigators were working on determining a cause Thursday night.

Huntington Beach and Newport Beach firefighters helped battle the fire.

— Paul Anderson