PASADENA — An apartment house fire scorched two units early Sunday, displacing the residents but resulting in no injuries, authorities said.
The fire broke out about 1:50 a.m. at a two-story apartment building in the 500 block of North Hill Avenue, just south of Orange Grove Boulevard, according to Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.
The first firefighters to arrive at the scene encountered flames emanating from an apartment on the second floor, with flames spreading into the attic, prompting officials to call in reinforcements, officials said.
After extinguishing the blaze, which damaged two units, investigators determined the cause of the blaze as a malfunctioning wall heater, Derderian said.
Three adults and a small child were displaced from the two damaged units, Derderian said. The Red Cross was summoned to help them find temporary housing.
Residents of the other 12 or so units in the building were evacuated during the fire, but allowed to return once it was out, she added.
Due to the “frigid cold,” police officers kept vulnerable evacuees such as young children inside heated police cars or the department’s mobile command center until they were able to return home, Derderian said.
Officials estimated the fire caused $375,000 worth of damage to the affected units and the contents inside.

PHOTOS courtesy of Jamie Nicholson/Pasadena Fire Department