A fire broke out at a YMCA located in a strip mall on Lakewood Boulevard in Lakewood early Thursday morning, injuring a firefighter and killing a man.
The LA County Fire Department firefighter was injured while trying to save the victim at the scene of the fire, which broke out between 1:30 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. Thursday morning.
That victim -- an adult male -- was found dead.
The firefighter was trapped by the flames and had to be rescued by crews as a result. Video showed other members of the fire department dragging the injured firefighter out of the smoking building.
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"Obviously that's one of our family members," said Capt. Chiyoshi Hasegawa. "We work with these individuals 24 hours a day, so we look at them as an extended part of our family. So when we did that, we had to still keep in mind that our priority is not only to still put out the fire," but also the rescue.
The officer was transported to Long Beach Memorial Hospital and is talking and responsive, but the extent of his injuries is unknown.
It is also unclear who the deceased victim was, why he was in the building at the time of the fire and what led up to his death.
Crime Lab is on scene with Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies, and an investigation is underway.
