A three-alarm fire that damaged an apartment complex in Seal Beach and left two people injured Monday was caused by the use of a candle in a bedroom, authorities said.
The fire was reported at 12:49 a.m. in the 1200 block of Montecito Road, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Stephen Horner said.
Firefighters from the OCFA and the Huntington Beach and Long Beach fire departments were sent to the scene and extinguished the flames at 1:30 a.m., Horner said.
The cause of the fire was listed as "accidental" and was linked to the use of a candle in a bedroom, according to OCFA Capt. Tony Bommarito.
A total of five of the 16 units in the complex were damaged, Horner said. One unit where the fire started and one below sustained ``significant'' damage, he said. Three other units sustained minor damage.
All of the units were uninhabitable because the power was out and more than 20 adults and at least 13 children were displaced, Horner said.
Two people suffered minor burns when they tried to put out the fire. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
"Hoarding conditions in the involved unit made access difficult," Horner said. "This just adds fuel to the fire."
