ANAHEIM : 18 People Displaced by Apartment Blaze

An early morning blaze Thursday displaced 18 people from their apartments and left several units in ashes, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire at the Olive Plaza Apartments in the 2800 block of West Ball Road was unknown, fire authorities said late Thursday. No one was injured in the blaze.

The 6 a.m. fire started in a ground unit occupied by a 33-year-old woman and her two children. The flames lapped at an upper and adjacent units, causing an evacuation of half of the apartment building, fire officials said.

A total of 37 city firefighters, working with city police and the Orange County Fire Authority, controlled the blaze in 23 minutes, officials said.

Four units were damaged, resulting in a total loss of $50,000. The lower unit where the fire began was destroyed, and a unit above it, where five adults lived, also suffered heavy fire damage.

Two adjacent apartments suffered light smoke and water damages. One unit was occupied by two adults and two children, and the other by six adults.

The 18 displaced victims, four of whom are children, received emergency relief from the Red Cross. They are being temporarily housed in other apartments at the 300-unit Olive Plaza Apartment complex, Red Cross officials said.

“Everyone’s been taken care of for now,” said Cathy Richison, a Red Cross disaster relief volunteer. “Two of the families lost almost everything.”

Those who lost their belongings received vouchers for beds, clothing and a refrigerator, officials said.