Los Angeles Firefighter Saved after Falling Through Roof
LOS ANGELES, Calif.-- One firefighter was injured while battling a blaze at a commercial building on West Adams in Jefferson Park.
Officials say firefighters entered from the rear of the building.
Officials say the warehouse was vacant but for whatever reason it was heavily fortified. Before making entry firefighters had to cut through a chain link fence, then cut through two padlocks on a door and finally cut through a scissor gate.
A team of firefighters climbed on the roof and started cutting holes in the roof to vent the fire. After about 10 minutes, one of the firefighters fell through a hole. Firefighters say the visibility was very low.
Firefighters were alerted that one of their colleagues was in danger, and within five minutes they found him.
"At the time he was talking to us which was a good thing, so it was good to see, but you could tell he was in a lot of pain. He had second and third degree burns to the side of his face and his neck and at that point we dropped our hose line and started pulling him out. From there another task force came in ... and helped us and assisted in pulling him out. Once we got him out, the paramedics took over and took him to the hospital," Craig Kuykendall, a L.A. City firefighter, said.
The firefighter was hospitalized with second and third degree burns to his face, neck and hands.
The firefighter who was injured was new to the assignment, but officials say he was a veteran Los Angeles firefighter.
About 100 firefighters battled the flames.
The fire broke out around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday night. Crews knocked it down around 10:20 p.m.
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Republished with permission of KABC-TV.