LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A fire erupted Friday morning in a Los Angeles hotel, which killed one person and injured seven others including a firefighter, the authorities said.
Emergency crews were called to the two-story building when the fire broke out just after 2 a.m. local time, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Assistant Chief Jaime Moore was quoted by the local KTLA news channel as saying. Firefighters found smoke and fire on the first floor of the building as residents broke out windows to escape.
One victim, located inside the building and described as a male adult, was pronounced dead at the scene, a press release from the LAFD said, adding two of the seven injuries were in serious condition.
Investigators believed the early-morning fire was caused by combustible materials left too close to a space heater.
"We need to give space heaters space ... We need to have at least 36 inches of space from any combustible materials. It doesn't take a flame to actually ignite something, just that constant heat," Capt. Branden Silverman told KTLA.
It took more than 100 firefighters about 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Enditem
