A firefighter and two other people were injured early Wednesday in a massive house fire in Hollywood, where a security door trapped two men in the flames, requiring a difficult rescue amid the intensifying fire.
When firefighters arrived on North Cherokee Avenue shortly after 3:30 a.m., flames were already visible from outside the single-story single-family home, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. But before firefighters could focus on extinguishing the fire, they found two men trapped in the house behind a closed door, Prange said.
The house had a locked double door and the men did not have one of the necessary keys, he said. Firefighters were able to open the door and rescue the men, who were taken to a hospital, Prange said. One was in critical condition and the other in serious condition.
The fire had grown rapidly during the rescue.
As the four firefighters battled the flames from inside the structure, the accumulated heat caused a dangerous electrical discharge, which occurs when unusually high temperatures in an enclosed space cause all exposed elements and surfaces to suddenly burst into flames, according to Prange and the US Fire Administration
“Firefighters have protective equipment,” Prange said, “but it is not designed to protect [during] such an intense condition.”
All four firefighters were able to escape, but one suffered burns to his ears, Prange said. All were taken to a hospital for further observation.
At that point, reinforcements arrived and the flames were finally extinguished, he said. Ultimately, the demolition required 48 firefighters and 31 minutes from when crews first arrived.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Prange said. The agency's arson investigators were on scene Wednesday morning, which is protocol whenever a serious injury occurs.
Prange declined to put a dollar value on the losses, but said the fire caused considerable, if not total, damage to the home.
