| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Smoke alarm disconnected as LA woman fleeing burning apartment dies on iron fence
Thursday August 14, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) A woman who died when she fell or jumped from a burning fourth-floor apartment and was impaled on a wrought iron fence lived in a home where the smoke alarm had been disconnected, authorities said Wednesday.
The woman, who has not been identified pending notification of family, was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday night, said Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.
A man who lived at the apartment and managed to escape was hospitalized in serious condition for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Both victims were in their 50s, authorities said.
The fire, which started in the Hollywood apartment around 10:30 p.m., was caused by ``a carelessly discarded heat source,'' Humphrey said. He didn't say specifically what the source was.
It took 75 firefighters about 25 minutes to put out the blaze, which was confined to the apartment where the woman and man lived.
Fire Capt. Bill Wick told KNBC-TV there was no fire escape, and the couple were apparently trapped inside.
The woman either fell or jumped from the building before firefighters arrived, Humphrey said. It was unknown how the man escaped.
The blaze caused about $33,000 in damage.
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