Firefighters Battle 5th Floor Westwood Blaze

A stubborn fire that burned in the walls of a five- story apartment building in Westwood sent one person to a hospital tonight.

The blaze was reported at 8:26 p.m. at the Wilshire Manor Apartments at 10635 W. Wilshire Blvd., according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A total of 130 firefighters responded and knocked down the fire in 54 minutes, he said.

The patient taken to a hospital suffered smoke exposure, but that person’s condition was not immediately available, Humphrey said.

A handful of residents were evacuated from the building but most others sheltered in place while accompanied by firefighters, he said.

The flames burned in walls between units on the building’s fourth and fifth floors, Humphrey said.

Six of the building’s 46 units sustained damage and were not inhabitable, he said, adding that an undetermined number of people would be assisted by the Red Cross in finding temporary shelter.

Wilshire Boulevard was closed to traffic between Manning and Westholme avenues during and after the firefight, he said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

• City News Service