Patricia Brentrup

Mention the words "Macaulay Culkin family"--really a code for the notorious Culkin pere , Kit--and you are likely to get one of two reactions. Some of those approached, like producer Bob Hurwitz of "The Nutcracker," in which Macaulay starred as the young prince, abruptly slam down the phone. From others, though, an almost Joycean stream-of-consciousness monologue pours forth: evocative, sometimes unprintable adjectives and nouns. A frequent one is "nightmare."

A fire broke out Wednesday in the apartment of actor Macaulay Culkin's family, killing four people elsewhere in the Manhattan high-rise. The Culkins were safe, a publicist said. The dead, three women and a man, were found on higher floors of the 51-story building near Central Park. It is believed they died of smoke inhalation. Twenty people, including four firefighters, were injured, none seriously. Investigators were looking into reports that a Christmas tree caught fire.

TELEVISION Going Back to the Bay: KNBC Channel 4's Wendy Tokuda, who has co-anchored "Channel 4 News" at 6 p.m. with Jess Marlow since February 1993, will return to the San Francisco Bay area to become co-anchor and special assignment reporter for KRON's 4 p.m. newscast, "First 4 News." Tokuda spent 14 years in the Bay Area at KPIX-TV, where she began as a news reporter in 1978. Her first job in broadcasting was with KING-TV in Seattle, where she started as a secretary in public affairs.