18 displaced in Koreatown apartment fire
Dozen displaced after Koreatown fire
More than a dozen people were displaced after a fire broke out in Koreatown.
LOS ANGELES - Fire officials said 18 people were displaced after a fire erupted at an apartment building in Koreatown Tuesday morning.
What we know:
The fire was reported around 7:20 a.m. in the 3200 block of James M Wood Boulevard, near the intersection of Irolo Street.
Around 90 firefighters found the two-story garden-style apartment with heavy smoke showing from the attic and went into offensive mode. As crews attacked the flames, a section of the roof gave way.
The fire was officially declared out around 8:20 a.m.
LAFD battle Koreatown apartment fire
Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department were working to knock down a fire that erupted at an apartment building in Koreatown on Tuesday morning.
Officials said all residents were safely evacuated from the apartment building.
No one was hurt.
Following the knockdown, the Red Cross was called to assist the 18 displaced residents, while the Department of Building and Safety arrived to inspect the integrity of the complex.
What they're saying:
"I saw from far away like a mile and a half, chopper, the smoke," said Robert Balcaceres.
Balcaceres says he was driving to work early Tuesday morning when his father called him from their family apartment unit in Koreatown.
"He calls me saying the building is on fire again, so I had to make a U-turn and come back over here."
He says his parents both have health issues and are trying to keep their spirits up despite the damage and not knowing where the family is going to stay overnight.
"They're strong, they're holding up, but I know deep inside they're hurt," he said. "They've been there for 35 years."
"Our LAFD truck company went to the roof to ventilate the fire in the attic and then to the second floor to improve the conditions for our fire companies inside," said LAFD Battalion Chief Brian Franco.
What we don't know:
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Source: This story was written with information from the Los Angeles Fire Department.