Three Leisure World units in Mutual 9 were damaged Easter Sunday, April 4.
The afternoon fire caused about $125,000 in damage and displaced one resident.
No one was physically injured.
Improper storage of combustible materials is presently considered the cause of the blaze.
The fire occurred just a couple of weeks after the official opening of a new fire station on Beverly Manor Road, located just outside the Leisure World north gate.
According to the Seal Beach Police Department Crime Log, a cell phone call to 911 reported the fire at 5:19 p.m. The caller was apparently a woman.
The log did not make clear if she was reporting a fire in the unit she was in or a fire in a neighboring unit.
Meanwhile, the Orange County Fire Authority dispatched firefighters to apartment #215-H at 1020 Foxburg Road.
“While units were en route Seal Beach Police reported fire showing from the unit,” according to City Manager David Carmany.
“Engine 48 arrived on scene and reported, ‘Smoke showing from a one-story multi-family residence’,” Carmany wrote in an e-mail to the media.
According to the log, at 5:41 p.m., dispatch called back the woman who had originally called 911.
The woman said she got some residents out of the burning building. However, the dispatcher could not get any further information from her.
At 5:43 p.m., the log said more units were needed. The fire was showing. This information was relayed to the county fire agency.
The Fire Authority was present by 5:45 p.m.
At 5:46 p.m., the log noted a request to evacuate the resident of one unit to the street.
Carmany said the “all clear” call came at 5:52 p.m. and reported contained to one unit by 5:59 p.m.
“The preliminary cause of the fire is reported to be the improper storage of combustibles and damage is estimated at $75,000 to the structure and $50,000 to the contents,” Carmany said.
Three units were damaged: #215-G, H and I.
Darik Doggett, a Seal Beach building inspector, looked at the three units on Monday, April 5. Dogget declared H uninhabitable. He determined G was safe to occupy and limited entry to #215-I. According to Carmany, Units G and H were both owned by the same Leisure World resident. She will live in G while H is being repaired.
“The resident living in (unit) I will live with a family member until they are able to locate an assisted living facility,” Carmany said.
He also said Seal Beach would expedite building permits to reconstruct the damaged homes.
Carmany did not mention that this is now Seal Beach policy for emergency repairs.
The policy was proposed by Councilman Michael Levitt after he learned that city staff had voluntarily begun expediting emergency repairs to a Leisure World building following another fire. Meanwhile, Carmany said Leisure World officials are looking at ways to prevent another fire like the Easter blaze.
“Golden Rain Foundation Administrator Dan Schaeffer will be surveying residents to see how many residents still have the original push button stove tops and formulate a plan to replace (them) with a dial-style stove top,” Carmany said.
