According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, five people were taken to the hospital with burn injuries after a Gardena apartment fire Wednesday morning. The fire occurred at about 1:00 a.m. near Wilkie Avenue and Redondo Beach Boulevard, in Gardena, California.
The most serious burn injury appears to be to a man in his 40s, who was listed in critical condition. The condition of the other Gardena fire injury victims is not currently known.
Apartment fires can be particularly dangerous for various reasons, including because they can spread from unit to unit very quickly, parking problems may block fire hydrants, lack of exits, burning stairwells blocking exits and inadequate alarms.
For these reasons, it is advised to prevent apartment fires by checking smoke alarms, knowing the locations of extinguishers and all exits, not overloading extension cords or sockets, and fully extinguishing cigarettes.
Unfortunately, many apartments, especially older buildings, are not fully updated with fire prevention safety in mind. For this reason, it is important, when seeking out an apartment, to make sure it is in a safe building.
Los Angeles apartment fire injuries and deaths occur very frequently and often can be prevented by a few simple steps. If you or a loved one are injured in an apartment fire in California, call our office, as we have been handling burn and other injury cases for over 30 years. We can help you deal with the trauma and hardship that such a disaster creates. Injury victims should call our office now for a free consultation: 1-866-INJURY-2 [1-866-465-8792].