Police arrested a 59-year-old man in connection with a five-alarm fire that roared through an Orange County apartment complex on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Tustin police took Patrick Andrew Ceniceros, a resident of the complex, into custody on suspicion of arson at about 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday. He allegedly made incriminating statements during an interview with the Orange County Fire Authority detective, according to news reports.
Have you or a loved one been involved in an accident? Speak to a lawyer for a free no obligation consultation
Or call us at (888) 699-7975
The early morning blaze happened at the Chatham Village Apartments on the 15700 block of Williams Street and injured two residents.
The fire broke out at about 3 a.m. in a downstairs apartment and by the time fire crews arrived, heavy smoke poured from the building with flames crawling to the second story.
By 3:30 a.m., the fire forced firefighters to retreat after the roof collapsed. The retreat also forced the firefighters to fight the blaze from outside the building, in a defensive stance. It took five hours for the 120 firefighters to battle the blaze. Orange County Fire Authority personnel had the blaze out shortly after 8 a.m.
In all, the fire displaced 100 residents and damaged 38 of the 100 units. Authorities could not account for one of the residents, but that person has been located since the fire. Of the displaced residents, 62 found shelter through the American Red Cross. Paramedics treated two senior citizen residents for smoke inhalation and transported one of them to the hospital. One dog perished in the fire. Authorities found it in the unit where the fire started.