Christmas Tree Lights on Fire in Northridge Apartment

A couple in their twenties who placed a candle under their Christmas Tree are probably feeling grateful they survived the fire they started around 9:45 p.m. tonight. Luckily, the newish two-story apartment building at 19039 Nordhoff Street in Northridge had a sprinkler system that extinguished the blaze before fire trucks arrived (sidenote: whatever happened to Season 2 American Inventor winner and Ventura County Firefighter Greg Chavez' Guardian Angel for situations just like this?). The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage--about half to the structure and half to personal items. No one was hurt, a good thing, especially for a holiday night like this. The last time someone died in Los Angeles due to a Christmas Tree fire was in 2006.