Firefighter Hurt in Fall Down Elevator Shaft
A Los Angeles firefighter was seriously injured when he fell down an elevator shaft while battling a Saturday morning blaze at an apartment building under construction in West Los Angeles, authorities said.
The firefighter was taken to UCLA Medical Center with shoulder, back and neck injuries, Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis said.
The fire began about 3:15 a.m. at the three-story building, which was in the framing stage. “It was like a great, huge stick of kindling,” Collis said.
Eighty firefighters took about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which hopped to buildings as far as three blocks away and inflicted minor damage on several other nearby structures, Collis said. Other than the falling firefighter, there were no injuries.
The cause is under investigation.
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