Worker And Firefighter Injured In Universal City High-Rise Hotel Blaze

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - A worker was gravely hurt and a firefighter suffered a non-traumatic injury Wednesday when a fire broke out at a high-rise hotel undergoing renovations in Universal City.

The fire, reported at 12:37 p.m. in a ninth-floor room at the 26-story Sheraton hotel at 10600 W. Universal Place, was held in check by the sprinkler system, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters extinguished the fire -- there was no immediate word on the cause -- and broke out windows to release heavy smoke, Stewart said.

An adult male worker was found in an adjacent room and taken, in grave condition, to a hospital, Stewart said.

One firefighter was taken to a hospital for treatment of a "non- traumatic" injury and was said to be in fair to serious condition, Stewart said.

No guests were staying on the ninth floor. Some of those staying on other floors self-evacuated and others were told to shelter in place, Stewart said.

The building sustained water and smoke damage from the ninth floor to the lobby and firefighters were performing salvage operations, trying to minimize the loss.

City News Service / Image via Shutterstock