Woman, Dog Rescued From Burning California Home

SAN FERNANDO --

Firefighters rescued a 21-year-old woman and a dog today from a fire inside a two-story home in San Fernando, authorities said.

The fire in the 1200 block of Hollister Street was reported just after 2:30 a.m., and 40 firefighters doused the blaze in 15 minutes, said Melissa Kelley of the Los Angeles Fire Department, which serves the city of San Fernando.

The victim's mother and 70-year-old grandmother were sleeping on the first floor of the residence when they were alerted to the fire burning on the second floor, Kelley said. He said the two escaped without injury. But the victim's mother called for help and told a fire department dispatcher that her house was on fire and her daughter was trapped on the second floor, along with a family pet that was somewhere inside the home, she said.

Arriving firefighters found the small white dog on the first floor, Kelley said. The dog was not hurt. Firefighters then made their way upstairs and quickly located the bedroom where the the young woman was trapped as the fire raged nearby, she said.

She was conscious, Kelley said. "Firefighters assisted her down the stairs, and she was able to walk on her own," she said.

The victim was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills for possible smoke inhalation but was in stable condition, Kelley said.

"It was such a coordinated effort from the moment the call was taken, to the dispatcher talking to the mother, to the units being warned of the person trapped, and firefighters locating the victim and the dog," she said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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