May 04--Two Los Angeles firefighters were burned fighting a three-story house fire in Sherman Oaks early Saturday, authorities said.
The fire was reported at 12:02 a.m. Saturday in the 4000 block of Sumac Drive, a winding hilly road off Beverly Glen Boulevard, authorities said. The house, which was unoccupied, has two stories below ground level and all three floors quickly became unstable.
Firefighters were ordered out of the structure and forced to fight the flames from the outside, according to authorities.
Three firefighters, including a captain, were trapped in the structure, according to a Times source at the scene. The captain was unconscious when rescued.
More than a hundred firefighters extinguished the fire in about an hour.
Two firefighters suffered burns and were transported to local hospitals, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire captain is in serious but stable condition, and one firefighter is in fair but stable condition -- both due to burns. No civilians were injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, an LAFD representative said.
All three floors of the house were damaged, according to authorities. The estimated dollar loss is $180,000 in structure damage and $80,000 in contents.
Twitter: @RosannaXia
Copyright 2013 - Los Angeles Times
