One Killed, Five Hurt in California Apartment Blaze

Dec. 22, 2004
A 5-year-old girl was killed and five other people were injured by a fast-moving fire that forced at least two people to jump from the windows of their apartment building to escape the flames.
HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif. (AP) -- A 5-year-old girl was killed and five other people were injured by a fast-moving fire that forced at least two people to jump from the windows of their apartment building to escape the flames.

Firefighters pulled a 3-month-old girl and a 5-year-old girl from the building in full cardiac arrest late Tuesday. Paramedics were only able to revive the infant.

The baby was ``doing better'' Wednesday morning at a local hospital, said Capt. Mark Savage, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Firefighters found the infant under an overturned bassinet and the 5-year-old in the hallway, he said.

The girls' mother, who was in her 30s, suffered multiple fractures when she jumped from a second floor window with a 3-year-old child in her arms, Savage said. The child was unharmed.

A 13-year-old girl also jumped from a window and suffered traumatic injuries, he said. A 10-year-old boy who likely escaped through the stairway had minor burns, Savage said.

The fire began about 9:30 p.m. at the apartment in this suburb five miles south of Los Angeles. About 60 to 75 firefighters managed to knock it down in about 30 minutes, Savage said. Four units sustained heavy damage, he said.

``When we pulled up to the scene it was very, very chaotic. We had people sprawled along the sidewalk who had jumped out the window, injured,'' he said. ``People were screaming that there was a baby still in the apartment.''

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