VENTURA : Woman Critically Burned in Blaze

A 69-year-old woman was critically burned Tuesday when a fire of undetermined origin swept through her room at a Ventura apartment house and routed the other tenants, fire officials said.

The woman, whose name was withheld, was taken to Ventura County Medical Center with burns over 25% of her body, Battalion Chief Wayne Belitski said.

The woman received second- and third-degree burns to her shoulders, face and neck, Belitski said.

Shortly after she arrived at the medical center, she was transferred by helicopter to the Sherman Oaks Community Hospital Burn Center, a county hospital spokeswoman said.

Five other residents were forced to flee the apartment house at 1032 E. Main St., which was extensively damaged by smoke, said Brian Clark, a spokesman for the Ventura Fire Department.

The fire, which broke out at 2:09 p.m., was extinguished in 22 minutes, Clark said. Cause of the blaze is under investigation, but it appeared to start in the downstairs room where the injured woman lived, he said. No damage estimate was available.

Firefighters also rescued a cat with five week-old kittens, administering oxygen to the kittens at the scene, Clark said.