Fire reported at Tuscany Apartments

A fire at Tuscany Apartments early Saturday morning caused sizable property damage and left some residents unable to return home.

“We received a 9-1-1 call at 4:58a.m and when firefighters arrived on scene they described what they had was a small roof fire,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Spokesman Erik Scott.

Scott said it took 12 firefighters approximately one hour to extinguish the fire. To do so, residents said the fire department punched holes through the roof and into two of the fifth floor apartments to drain the water from the hoses.

Abdullah Bundogji, a sophomore mechanical engineering major lives in one of those apartments and said that the rug in his apartment and much of his bathroom are destroyed. Bundogji and his roommate are moving into a room at the Radisson Hotel this afternoon.

“All my clothes smell like smoke now, Bundogji said. “I have three midterms this week so moving over the weekend when I really need to study honestly just sucks and moving back is probably going to be even worse.”

Bundogji said he is unsure when he will be able to move back to his apartment.

“I’m hearing three days but one of the construction workers said it could take a lot longer because they have to dislodge a lot of drywall. In the bathroom there’s a lot of repairs and demolition.” Bundogji said.

Scott said the official cause of the fire remains under investigation. Residents believe it might have started from the barbeque gas line and spread because there was flammable material in the trashcan next to the barbeque.

No injuries were reported.

Bundogji said the majority of the damage was to his apartment and another apartment down the hall. Most residents—including sophomore industrial engineering major victoria Schwartz who also lives on the fifth floor—were able to return to their apartments this morning.

“They would not let me in afterward because of smoke,” Schwartz said. “They let me in at 7a.m But it’s over and nothing happened to me thankfully.”