Three firefighters were hurt battling a blaze ripping through a hard-to-reach hillside home in Encino Wednesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The first responders -- two fire captains and a paramedic -- suffered non-life threatening injuries, said Eric Scott, LAFD spokesman. No civilians were hurt.
One firefighter was smiling as he was transported into an ambulance. A second injured firefighter told NBC4, "I'm OK," as he was whisked away from the scene, sitting upright on a stretcher.
The fire broke out in a 7,000-square-foot residence in the 4440 block of Balboa Ave. (map), the department tweeted at 3:45 p.m. It took 100 firefighters nearly 2 1/2 hours to extinguish the fire.
The multi-million-dollar home is situated on a narrow street and tucked away on a hillside, making it more difficult for firefighters to reach the burning structure.
Balboa Avenue in front of the home was clogged with emergency vehicles as the fire burned. A white Lexus parked on the side of the road was set to be towed away because ambulances were having trouble making it up the road to the injured firefighters.
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Aerial footage showed a large hillside home burning between towering trees. Several firefighters were perched on the roof of the home, aiming hoses at flames shooting through the top of the house.
An NBC4 viewer in Northridge reported seeing a faint line of smoke, possibly from the house fire, rising about 9 miles to the south.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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