LOS ANGELES (CNS/KNX 1070) - Some of the 339 people who had to be evacuated out of their West LA high-rise fire Wednesday may be allowed to return home today.
It depends on the conditions of the units.
Thirteen people were injured, and one very badly, during yesterday's fire.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
LA City Fire Captain Erik Scott told KNX 1070 News' Jon Baird that the building did not have a sprinkler system but it did have other things in place including smoke alarms, a PA system and fire extinguishers.
On Friday LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin is planning on introducing a resolution to change the law that these buildings have to install a sprinkler system.
A fire broke out today in a 25-story residential building in West Los Angeles, leaving several people injured.
LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas says the Barrington Plaza fire is "suspicious" in nature, but no information has been released about the cause of the blaze.
Eight people were injured, including two adults with critical injuries and a 3-month-old child whose injuries were described only as non- critical. Of the eight, six were taken to hospitals.
A total of 15 people were evacuated from the rooftop of the building via helicopters.
Arson investigators are working to determine if there is a connection between the Barrington Plaza fire and a fire about two hours earlier in a 26-story office building in the 11600 block of Wilshire Boulevard.
Police warned the public that traffic in the area of Wilshire Boulevard and Barrington Avenue was likely to be "tied up" for at least 24 hours while the investigation is conducted into the fires.
Police urged residents with videos related to either fire to provide the videos to investigators.
The flames were reported on the sixth floor of the Barrington Plaza Apartments at 11740 W. Wilshire Blvd. at 8:37 a.m.
"Persons ... have reportedly jumped from that or nearby floors," said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
As many as five people were being treated for unspecified injuries, according to reports from the scene.
Some residents ran out of the building, and others retreated to the roof of the structure, where smoke poured out the doorway of one stairwell that opened onto the roof. At least one person was airlifted from the rooftop onto a fire department helicopter.
The LAFD assigned 335 personnel to the firefight, along with four rescue-capable helicopters.
One resident who lives in a unit several units above the floor where the fire broke out told KNX Newsradio that she heard people crying and calling for help and what sounded like an explosion. She said she jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed, grabbed several pet cats and made her way out of the building.
Traffic was routed away from the area, with heavy backups reported on Wilshire Boulevard, Barrington Avenue and other streets in the area, where another high-rise fire broke out at 6:30 a.m. about three blocks to the east.
On Oct. 18, 2013, a fire in the Barrington Plaza Apartments heavily damaged an 11th-story apartment and left nearly a dozen people injured, including three firefighters and a critically injured 2-year-old girl who was found in a smoke-filled stairwell on the 23rd floor.
Firefighters were sent to the complex about 11:45 a.m. that day, and extinguished the flames in an hour and 11 minutes. Despite what appeared to be two distinct plumes of smoke coming from the building, fire officials said the blaze was contained to a single two-bedroom apartment.
The 240-unit building was built in 1961 and was not equipped with a sprinkler system, because it was grandfathered in and not required to be so equipped, according to the LAFD.
