Two people were injured as flames roared through the upper floor of a two-story apartment building in Sherman Oaks Thursday, leading to a protracted battle by firefighters.
The fire was reported at 8:54 a.m. Thursday in a garden-style apartment building at 14248 W. Dickens St., near the intersection of Ventura and Beverly Glen boulevards, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Crews evacuated residents and cut holes in the roof to ventilate the structure as flames shot through the openings.
About 80 firefighters joined the battle and put the stubborn blaze out in two hours and 34 minutes, according to the LAFD.
Two patients were taken to hospitals. One was a 69-year-old woman who had shortness of breath, possibly after sustaining smoke inhalation. The other was a man of undisclosed age whose condition was not immediately known, said the LAFD’s Jennifer Middleton.
“Seven units/apartments were impacted by the fire,” she said, adding that three were deemed uninhabitable.
Eight adults were displaced and the Red Cross was providing support for the victims. Crews saved two dogs from the affected second-floor apartment, where they contained the fire.
The canines’ owner took possession of the dogs to take them to a veterinarian, Middleton said.
The LAFD’s Arson unit was investigating the cause of the fire, she said.
“LAFD companies will remain on scene for an extended period of time completing thorough overhaul procedures,” Middleton said.