Brea Man Killed in Blaze

A fire believed to have started by an overloaded electrical plug killed a Brea man and displaced about 60 residents in an apartment building, authorities said Monday.

The blaze occurred Sunday night after the man and his wife had sent their children to a baby-sitter’s house and were preparing for a quiet evening at home, said Brea Fire Battalion Chief Paul Christman. The man’s name was not immediately released.

The fire started in a stairway cubbyhole and quickly spread upstairs, Christman said.

The victim was found in the bathtub, having apparently been trapped in the room by fire, Christman said. His wife had left the house to buy ice cream.”She came back and the apartment was in flames,” Christman said. All the windows and doors had been blown out.

About 50 firefighters from Brea, Fullerton, Anaheim, La Habra and the Orange County Fire Authority fought the three-alarm blaze, Christman said.

Nine of the building’s 10 apartments were damaged by smoke and water and the residents forced to vacate them. The victim’s unit was destroyed, Christman said.

Investigators suspect the fire was ignited by a spark from an overloaded electrical socket.