The moment ‘California Strip Mall Set Ablaze, 17 cats Killed And Firefighter Injured’ 17 cats were lost in a significant fire at a strip mall in the Los Angeles region on Saturday morning, and one firefighter was hurt. More details are below.
California Strip Mall Set Ablaze, 17 cats Killed And Firefighter Injured
Around 5:44 a.m. on Saturday, someone passing by the area dialed 911 to report flames in a building in the 9000 block of West Venice Boulevard. The Los Angeles Fire Department then arrived to put out the fire.
When the first 124 members of the LAFD arrived at the address, they saw smoke coming from the central section of a one-story strip mall containing about a dozen businesses.
In what was described as an intense, 73-minute firefight, crews forced entry into and searched many of the businesses in the building, including feline boarding facility CatPlaceLA.
Firefighters brought 19 cats out of the charred business, but 17 of them were reportedly beyond medical help and died at the scene. The two remaining cats were transported to an emergency vet after crews were able to resuscitate them.
The department said one firefighter suffered “sudden medical illness” while battling the blaze and was taken to the hospital in fair condition for further evaluation.
There were no other injuries in the fire.
Though most of the building was filled with thick smoke due to a shared attic area, the bulk of direct fire damage was limited to five businesses: a nail salon, smoke shop, martial arts studio, staffing agency, and CatPlaceLA.
LAFD said none of the involved businesses were equipped with operational fire sprinklers.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Check back for more updates.
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