Photo: Los Angeles Fire Department
Eight people were injured on Wednesday morning after a massive fire broke out on the sixth floor of a Los Angeles apartment building, authorities said, leading several residents trapped and desperate to save their own lives.
The flames broke out around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Barrington Plaza, a 25-story residential building located on the Westside, the Los Angeles Fire Departmentconfirmed in a press release.
The blaze, which occurred just two hours after firefighters put out another one a few blocks over, came on so strong and suddenly that some residents were forced to escape through their sixth-story windows.
Smoke at Barrington Plaza.Rosy Cordero
Firefighters inside one of the balconies.Rosy Cordero
Others who became trapped inside the building were seen standing on the roof of the high rise, many in their pajamas and bathrobes while waiting forLAFD’s helicopters to rescue them from the blaze.
Though the man who was clinging to the building was contemplating jumping, Terrazas said during the press conference that they were able to talk to him, prevent him from doing so, and safely rescue him with a ladder.
By 10:45 a.m., the LAFD confirmed the fire had beensuccessfully put out, just an hour and 19 minutes after it was first reported to officials.
During the press conference, Terrazas said authorities believed the floors five through eight were impacted, but that crews were assessing the building to see “what’s been involved and what our next steps will be.”
Terrazas also noted that there was “no sprinkler system in the occupancy” and that officials were investigating. At this time, authorities are considering the fire suspicious, but do not believe it was arson.
The fire comes seven years after Barrington Plaza suffered its last blaze, which broke out on the 11th floor and displaced 150 residents, while also injuring two, according to theLos Angeles Times.
The building did not have a sprinkler system in place at that time. According to the outlet, Barrington Plaza was built in 1968 and was subsequently exempt from newer state regulations mandating that buildings over 75 feet have a fire-suppression system in place.
source: people.com
