SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- Fires erupted in two buildings in an apartment complex Tuesday, burning dozens of units, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate and injuring three firefighters.
The causes of both fires were under investigation.
About 40 units of the 187-unit complex were destroyed, Fire Department spokesman Tony Espinosa said. About 30 more had water damage.
Three firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
A temporary shelter for displaced residents was set up at a school. Red Cross officials said they expected to handle as many as 400 people.
Sixty firefighters took about two hours to control the blazes, which were reported about 11:30 a.m. at the La Serena apartment complex, Espinosa said. When firefighters arrived, one fire had spread to an attic and swept through a long, two-story building.
Fire later erupted about 40 yards away at a separate building in the complex of 10 buildings.
``It looks like the fire spread either through embers or through a building in the back,'' Espinosa said.
