Fire victim identified; cause still unknown

Jeff Benson

County investigators Monday identified the fatal victim of Sunday’s

small apartment fire on Maple Avenue, but the cause of the fire is

still being investigated.

An Orange County Coroner’s official said Maria Carreno, 21, died

shortly after neighbors extinguished the fire and pulled her from the

bedroom of her Sundance West apartment Sunday afternoon.

Costa Mesa firefighters arrived at the apartment at 3:58 p.m.

Sunday to find the victim in full cardiac arrest and immediately

began CPR and advanced life support treatment on her, Battalion Chief

Christopher Riley said. Paramedics took Carreno to Hoag Hospital,

where she was pronounced dead by hospital staff, he said.

“It was a small fire, and we’re still trying to determine the

exact cause,” he said. “Whenever there’s a death, we have to make

sure we’re really right on.”

Carreno was removed from the smoke-filled room Sunday by two of

her Sundance West neighbors, Isidro Labastida, 58, and his son,

Aimcindo Labastida, 26, acting Battalion Chief Brian Roberts said.

The two neighbors told police they saw smoke and rushed over, Roberts

said, but he couldn’t confirm the flames were still active when the

neighbors got there.

Investigators are still gathering facts as to how the fire started

and exactly who doused the flames with water but would not disclose

any other information, including possible causes, citing the ongoing

investigation.

“I haven’t heard back from investigators,” Roberts said. “They’ve

accomplished what they’ve accomplished, and they’re going to continue

on in the next couple of days.”

The fire damage was isolated to the bedroom of Carreno’s apartment

unit, and there were no other injuries reported, Riley said. Damage

to the building and its contents was estimated at $3,000.

* JEFF BENSON is the news assistant and may be reached at (949)

574-4298 or by e-mail at [email protected].