2 people rescued from Koreatown fire, lithium-ion batteries found in basement

Firefighters rescued two people from a burning apartment building in Los Angeles Friday morning, helping one of the victims out of a second-story window and pulling out another person who was later hospitalized in critical condition.

The critically injured person was rescued from the basement of the building at 427 South Gramercy Place, with the other rescued victim and two other individuals all being looked at by paramedics for potential injuries including smoke inhalation, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It took firefighters 30 minutes to put out the blaze, which LAFD first reported in an alert at 8:39 a.m.

Paramedics took four people to the hospital, one of whom was critically injured. 

The American Red Cross headed to the building to help roughly 30 residents displaced by the fire. 

"I've spoken about seven people who are affected today, and they're in a state of shock," spokesperson Mimi Teller. "And what happens after an event like this is people don't know what to do next, they don't know where to stay, who to call, what to do, and that's where we come in." 

Firefighters discovered multiple lithium-ion batteries, for scooters, in the basement, according to LAFD. The highly flammable, potentially explosive batteries have been tied to recent fires that have shut down roads and freeways in Southern California. 

They have been blamed for more than 170 fires in New York City this year, authorities said, some resulting in deaths such as an apartment fire that killed a 69-year-old man last month. Last year, 14 people in the city were killed in fires linked to lithium-ion batteries.