House Fire in South LA Leaves Firefighter with Minor Injuries

A firefighter was being treated for minor injuries Wednesday following a partial roof collapse that occurred while he was battling a house fire in South Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Fire Department received a report of a fire in the 1500 block of West 37th Street at 5:17 a.m., according to fire officials.

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Fifty-one firefighters arrived on scene to battle the blaze. The house was completely engulfed in flames, but neighbors said the home has been vacant for at least six months. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in around 40 minutes.

The firefighter is in good condition, and fire officials expect he will be released from the hospital Wednesday.

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The injured firefighter suffered graze wounds, said LAFD spokesman Cody Weireter. A portion of the house collapsed on him as he was positioning himself to fight the fire from outside. He was able to remove himself from the debris, according to LAFD Battalion Chief Michael Greenup.

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"We hope that our fellow firefighter has a speedy recovery and he is able to return to duty soon," said LAFD spokesman Erik Scott.

Greenup deemed the fire "suspicious" because there was no indication that anyone was inside the home at the time the fire started.

"We're not ruling anything out," Greenup said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.