Early this morning, a townhouse in Panorama City was engulfed in flames, resulting in the death of a woman and sending three others to the hospital. At approximately 3:31 AM, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at the 9200 block of N Wakefield Ave. Upon arrival, firefighters were faced with a row of two-story townhomes, one of which was significantly burning. Despite being informed of potential victims trapped inside, fire crews were forced to initiate an offensive attack to rescue individuals and prevent further spread of the blaze.
The LAFD teams discovered that the fire had already quickly spread into the attic, reaching into an adjacent townhouse. As more resources were swiftly dispatched to the scene, firefighters continued their efforts to suppress the fire while systematically searching for any trapped victims. Tragically, an adult female was located in a downstairs bedroom of the primary townhouse. She was determined to be dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, outside the inferno, firefighter/paramedics assessed three patients who had evacuated the primary fire unit before the LAFD arrived. According to the LAFD news release, the patients, a 20-year-old male, a 68-year-old male, and an 83-year-old female, were all transported to a hospital in fair condition. Over 70 firefighters, led by Assistant Chief Luis Aldana, were involved in the operation that took 43 minutes to extinguish the flames.
