One dead, five injured in Echo Park fire

One person died and four others were injured in an Echo Park house fire Saturday morning, authorities said. A firefighter also suffered minor injuries.

The fire was reported at 8:20 a.m. in the 800 block of North Alvarado Street in a single-story house with an attic that had been converted to living space, said Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters had reports early on that people might be trapped inside, so they were “very aggressive” searching inside the house and “were immediately met by patients who were burned,” Scott said. Firefighters found one adult male dead inside the home, he said.

Two adult males were taken to a hospital and were listed in critical condition, Scott said. Another male and a female suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

One firefighter also was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

More than 50 firefighters knocked down the fire in 36 minutes, according to the fire department. Some guests at a nearby hotel on Alvarado Street were evacuated during the fire, but the blaze did not spread to other structures, Scott said.

Arson investigators were on scene Saturday morning, Scott said. The cause and monetary losses are yet to be determined.

It was unknown if there were any functional smoke alarms in the house at the time of the fire.

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