Deputy Helps 15 Escape From Apartment Fire
A sheriff’s deputy helped 15 people escape from a burning apartment building Saturday morning in West Hollywood.
Deputy John Mitchell was on routine patrol at 10 a.m. when he observed smoke coming from a 56-unit complex in the 1300 block of Crescent Heights Blvd.
Mitchell, who knew that several elderly people lived in the building, went inside, encountering several frightened residents who were unsure of a safe escape route and hesitant to leave, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said. Flames had engulfed two apartment units.
“Residents were jumping out of balconies and he kicked down a door and evacuated quite a few people,” said another sheriff’s official, Sgt. Clarence Chaney.
Two residents received minor injuries and a firefighter suffered smoke inhalation. All were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The blaze, which destroyed four units, is believed to have been an electrical fire, Chaney said.
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