Man Guides Rescuers, Escapes Fire
A 31-year-old Canoga Park man escaped injury in a fire Wednesday evening by calling 911 and guiding rescuers to the office where he was holed up against the flames, authorities said.
Firefighters were already battling the blaze at the Encino Law Center on Ventura Boulevard near Gloria Avenue when dispatchers received the call from the unidentified man, who told them he was trapped in a second-floor office suite.
“He remained calm and followed orders to block the bottom of the door with towels or other materials and stay low, below the smoke,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. “His doing so undoubtedly contributed to the outcome, which was that he escaped without any injury or ill effects.”
It took 50 firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire, which apparently began on a patio about 6:45 p.m., Humphrey said.
The cause of the blaze and the amount of damage were under investigation.
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