Firefighter and woman injured in California apartment fire

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A firefighter and a woman were injured Sunday when Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters responded to a fire on the second floor of a more than 11,000-square-foot, 20-unit, two-story apartment building in the area of W. Lexington Ave. in Hollywood, LAFD said.

The fire broke out around 5:28pm Sunday. Firefighters said a 79-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in fair condition for smoke exposure. Another injured patient declined ambulance transformation.

One firefighter who was battling the blaze from the beginning was exhibiting signs of dehydration and taken to the hospital in fair condition for an assessment, LAFD said.

Residents were evacuated during the fire. Firefighters added that the building was not equipped with optional fire sprinklers.

It took 50 firefighters 27 minutes to fully extinguish the fire in the center hallway apartment building that was built in 1924.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.