1 Hurt, 40 Homeless After Apartment Building Fire
Faulty electrical wiring in a Hollywood apartment building caused a fire early Monday that injured one man, left at least 40 people displaced from their homes and caused $400,000 in damage, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said.
The fire at 1106 N. Vine St. started at 2:10 a.m. A crew of 75 firefighters arrived on the scene and extinguished the blaze by 2:45 a.m., said spokesman Brian Humphrey.
A 40-year-old man who suffered smoke inhalation was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was reported in stable condition.
The fire began in the common attic area of the 74-year-old, four-story building, which includes a ground level of businesses. Damage was mostly confined to the attic and the apartments on the top floor. City inspectors will determine if and when the tenants may return.
Tenant Efrin Estrella, who has lived in the building for two months, was awakened by firefighters and told to leave.
“There was smoke everywhere and I couldn’t see anything,” said Estrella, whose belongings sustained water damage.
The displaced were sent to a Red Cross evacuation center a few blocks away and they were later moved to a shelter.
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