Fire Injures Man and Woman; 2 Dogs Rescued

[

A fire damaged a Winnetka home with no working smoke alarms today, leaving a man and woman hospitalized in fair condition and two dogs injured.

Firefighters sent to 8219 Quartz Ave. at 9:59 a.m. reported the house well-involved in flames and put out the blaze in 17 minutes, Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The 75-year-old, one-story home had no working smoke alarms, and damage to the home displaced five people, he said.

Paramedics treated a man for smoke exposure and a burn to an elbow, Humphrey said, adding that a woman also was hospitalized for unspecified reasons.

Firefighters rescued two dogs, one of which was hiding under a bed, he said.

A second man exposed to smoke ended up declining medical help, and woman with a medical condition unrelated to the fire was taken to a hospital, Humphrey said.

The dogs were turned over to the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross helped the displaced residents find temporary lodging.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Firefighters have been trying to convince people of the importance of having a smoke detector in every room and even giving thousands of the devices away. At least 20 people have died in fires in Los Angeles so far this year and, in 16 cases, no working fire alarms were found in the homes.

--City News Service

PHOTO Patch file photo.

COMMENT ON THIS STORY BY SCROLLING TO FIND THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW.

Wondering how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.