About 50 people got a warm place to sleep Saturday after a fast-moving fire heavily damaged a Westlake District motel they lived in on Christmas Night.
The Royal Park Motel at 1906 W. 3rd Street caught fire at about 6:50 p.m. Thursday, Los Angeles City Fire Department officials said. Five people were injured in the fire, and it could have been worse -- cellphone footage captured people pulling residents out of a motel window.
About 100 firefighters extinguished the flames in 21 minutes, officials said, but 20-25 families were displaced by the damage, according to a Red Cross statement.
After being contacted by the property manager of the Royal Park Motel, the Red Cross set up a shelter at the Echo Park Community Center Saturday morning, the statement said.
The people affected by the fire will received cots and meals along with social workers' support in assessing what else they might need, the statement said.
