by Timothy Rutt
Firefighters were called to a house fire at 2919 North Lake Ave. at 10:45 Sunday night. An 87-year-old female resident was hospitalized for mild distress due to smoke inhalation, and her caregiver was treated for first degree burns on her wrist, according to LA County Fire spokesman Matt Levesque.
According to the fire report, a company of five engines, a fire truck and paramedic squad found the house aflame. Even though there was concern about the nearby houses, it was quickly put out and no other homes were harmed.
The house was judged uninhabitable, Levesque said, and residents declined Red Cross assistance.
The cause was accidental, Levesque said, with combustables near the bed ignited from smoking. The resident had a history of heavy smoking, according to Levesque.
Besides loss to the structure, about $30,000 in contents were also destroyed, Levesque said.
This story was rewritten to incorporate more complete information as it became available.
