Woman killed in fire at Panorama City townhouse
A woman died in a fire at a townhouse in Panorama City as the flames spread to a neighboring home early Saturday morning, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Firefighters discovered the victim inside a downstairs bedroom of the two-story home, located in the 9200 block of North Wakefield Avenue, upon responding at about 3:31 a.m., LAFD officials said. Three other people — an 83-year-old woman, 20-year-old man and 68-year-old man — had escaped the blaze before firefighters arrived. They were taken to a hospital in fair condition.
More than 70 firefighters worked to put out the flames as they made their way into a unit next door, simultaneously searching for other victims as they had learned other people were possibly trapped inside, according to LAFD. No one else was injured.
The blaze was extinguished in about 43 minutes, authorities said.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has red-tagged both homes as not safe for occupancy. To help residents who have been displaced, LAFD said the mayor's Crisis Response Team and the American Red Cross are providing assistance.
While there were smoke alarms inside the home that initially caught fire, it's not clear if they were functioning at the time, authorities said. The LA County Medical Examiner is working to determine a cause of death and identity of the woman killed.
