Fire Leaves 5 Families Homeless, Firefighters Hospitalized

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Residents of at least five townhouses were left homeless and two firefighters were hospitalized after a fire raged through a two-story building Monday.

The blaze on Denny Avenue broke out just before noon.

About 120 firefighters and 21 fire engines and trucks responded to the scene. Because it was in a residential area and particularly difficult to fight, the blaze was designated a “major emergency structural fire,” the highest classification used by the Fire Department in terms of equipment and personnel.

“The flames were so high; it was so hot,” said Diane Moore-Trombi, who lives across the street. “It was like a blast of heat after you open the door of an oven.”

Two firefighters were hospitalized with chest pains, and one underwent heart surgery, said Bob Collis, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The other was treated and released.

No residents in the six-unit complex were injured, neighbors and firefighters said. Most were at work and those who were home escaped.

Laura Martinez, who was visiting her sister’s townhouse, said she smelled smoke and hustled her family and her sister’s, including a total of six children, outside. After the family had run a safe distance, she noticed that some of the children were still barefoot.

Her sister returned home from work to find white smoke wafting from charred rooms.

“The first thing is my kids--at least they’re OK,” Norma Sanchez said. “But my home. . . .”