`I'M STILL SCARED'; 3 FAMILIES LOSE POSSESSIONS IN FIRE.

Byline: Douglas Haberman Daily News Staff Writer

Eight people from three families lost most of their furniture, clothing and belongings in an early Christmas morning fire at their apartment.

Some of their Christmas presents were spared, but the holiday spirit was ruined nonetheless.

``It's not so merry,'' said Sandra Avila, as she surveyed the three-bedroom single-story apartment in North Hollywood.

The pre-dawn fire charred the unit almost everywhere inside and portions of its white stucco exterior were blackened as well, particularly above windows.

``I'm still scared,'' said resident Jorge Abiola. ``I've never seen anything like that.''

Firefighters received a 911 call at 6:22 a.m. Forty firefighters rushed to the unit at 11615 Victory Blvd., where they extinguished the blaze in 16 minutes, Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

The cause is still undetermined, he said.

However, some residents suspect the blaze was the result of a natural gas leak.

The fire broke out not long after the families had gone to bed after a midnight Christmas dinner and hours of revelry, resident Pedro Castro, 20, said. The flames came from the unit's kitchen, possibly from a storage room beneath the kitchen, he said.

Castro said he had smelled gas as he entered the apartment around 5 a.m. after dropping a friend off at another apartment. But a fellow resident said they could call someone about the gas upon waking up, he said.

The next thing he knew, Castro said, he was awakened by his mother screaming about a fire.

In helping his wife, Monica, and 2-1/2-year-old daughter, Sarahi, to safety, Castro said he burned his fingertips and torso when he grabbed a burning curtain hanging in a doorway so everyone could get past.

In the late morning, some of the residents were talking to Red Cross volunteers outside the home. A huge heap of burned sofas, tables, clothes, food and utensils lay piled in an adjacent driveway.

``We lost almost everything,'' said Castro, including three refrigerators, and a microwave oven.

The American Red Cross office in Burbank sent disaster relief volunteers to help the residents. The organization will put the families up in motel rooms for the weekend and gave them vouchers for food and clothing, volunteer Carol Dewey said.

On Monday, Red Cross officials will help the families find new housing, she said.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Monica Castro holds her daughter, Sarahi, 2-1/2, in the charred remains of their North Hollywood apartment, which burned Friday morning.

(2) Pedro Castro surveys the damage from an early Christmas morning fire at his apartment on Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News