Woman, 79, Hospitalized from Smoky Apartment Building Fire in Hollywood

HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Two people were being medically evaluated following a fire at a nearly one-hundred-year-old apartment building in Hollywood.

Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters responded at 5:24 p.m. to a fire on the second floor of a more than 11,000-square-foot, 20-unit, two-story apartment building at 5603 W. Lexington Ave., according to the LAFD's Brian Humphrey.

Paramedics took a 79-year-old woman to a hospital in fair condition for further medical assessment, he said. The other patient was offered transport but declined.

One of the first firefighters to arrive at the scene showed signs of dehydration and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Humphrey said.

It took 50 firefighters 27 minutes to fully extinguish the fire in the center hallway apartment building that was built in 1924, he said. "The building was not equipped with optional fire sprinklers."

"While the fire was confined to the one upstairs apartment, LAFD personnel are systematically assessing the remaining units to assure residents can be safely and comfortably rehoused," he said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.