Firefighter Hurt in $500,000 House Fire

A fire that heavily damaged a large Woodland Hills house Tuesday morning caused an estimated $500,000 in damages and sent a firefighter to the hospital with exhaustion, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

The fire was reported at 4:22 a.m. in the two-story, 4,500-square-foot house in the 4400 block of Da Vinci Avenue, just south of Mulholland Drive, Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said.

Resident Sunny Olins said she and her family were able to escape with their pets--two birds and a dog--after discovering the fire. She said the family had lived in the house 18 years.

Investigators believe that the fire started in the garage and then spread through the attic, Wells said. It took two dozen firefighters an hour to extinguish the flames. An unidentified firefighter, who was overcome by exhaustion while battling the blaze, was taken to Humana Hospital-West Hills for treatment.

The cause of the fire was not known and was under routine investigation, Wells said. The estimated loss included damage to the house, furniture and two cars.