At Least 2 Hurt In Massive South LA Apartment Fire That Led To Evacuations Of Neighboring Buildings

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — At least two people were hurt in a large fire at a nearly 100-year-old apartment complex in South Los Angeles, authorities said.

The fire erupted just after 3 a.m. at the building in the 4000 block of S. Main Street on Saturday.

As of 7:30 a.m., the fire continued to burn, four hours after it started. It resulted in evacuations to its 24 units, as well as the evacuation of four adjacent buildings.

“Usually we see something like this on TV and people lose everything,” said resident Loneisha Pogues. “I have never had nothing like this happen to me where I just lost everything out of nowhere.”

Captain Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said he expects the building will be red-tagged. The captain said the fire started at a laundry-storage room in the basement before quickly spreading through the walls to the attic.

“[The smoke] was thick. You couldn’t see anything but the smoke,” said resident Lyndon Jernigan.

More than 100 firefighters doused the building with water for five hours but the structure built in the 1920s just kept burning.

Of the injured, one person suffered severe smoke inhalation, and another person was injured but declined to go to the hospital.

The American Red Cross is expected to assist residents who have been displaced as a result of the fire.