Costa Mesa : Fire Damages 4-Unit Apartment Building

A fire gutted one of four units in a Costa Mesa apartment building Tuesday and caused considerable smoke and water damage to the other three, a fire official said.

No one was seriously injured in the blaze, which was reported about 5:50 a.m. in an upstairs unit of the building at 393 Hamilton St., said Fire Department Administrative Chief Jim Richey. One firefighter suffered possible smoke inhalation and blisters to his palms but did not require hospitalization, Richey said.

The resident of the gutted unit was not home at the time of the fire. The apartment was so badly charred that investigators could not tell where the fire began, Richey said.

The fire was extinguished in about 50 minutes, Richey said.