Mar 23, 2008 8:57 pm US/Pacific
Downtown Apartment Fire Injures 3
LOS ANGELES
A 13-year-old boy and his parents have been credited for possibly saving the lives of others during an apartment fire near the Staples Center that critically burned two men and a woman on Saturday night.
The fire began around 10 p.m. at 1025 S. Albany St., said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
"I was in the kitchen, and then I started smelling smoke and someone was crying for help," 13-year-old Allertse Ferreira told KCAL9. "Everyone started running out the building -- evacuating the building -- while we came and helped them."
Ferreria and his parents helped move two critically burned men out of the building.
"Me and my mom broke those bars on the window and then we got the guys out ... They were right here laying down, and someone called the firefighters and they came," Ferreira said.
One woman with burns on 90 percent of her body was initially reported to be in grave condition, Humphrey said.
Her condition and that of the two men -- all of whom are said to be in their 20s -- has not been made available.
Approximately 80 firefighters kept the fire from spreading to additional units. It was declared out 15 minutes after it was reported, Humphrey said.
The fire caused approximately $25,000 damage to the building and $10,000 damage to its contents, d'Lisa Davies of the fire department said. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
