By Leila Merrill
LOS ANGELES — Three LAFD firefighters were injured Sunday morning in a South-Central Los Angeles church fire, including one who became trapped when the ceiling and walls collapsed.
A mayday call went out about 25 minutes after arrival at Victory Baptist Church, KTLA reported.
“The mayday was an announcement of an emergency … we had a partial roof collapse of this building while firefighters were inside mounting an attack,” said David Ortiz, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. “The firefighters … had to cut away material that had trapped (a crew) member when the ceiling and the walls collapsed on him.”
One firefighter’s injuries were moderate and the other two’s were minor and resulted from church walls made of heavy plaster crumbling down.
Two were transported to a hospital, and one was treated on site.
More than 100 firefighters worked on the Victory Baptist Church fire for an hour and 40 minutes, KABC reported.
The historic building could not be saved, and the fire is under investigation.