$160,000 Apartment Building Fire Hurts 7 : Panorama City: Three police officers suffer minor injuries helping tenants escape the blaze at the 36-unit building.

Seven people, including three police officers, received minor injuries Wednesday in a fire that caused $160,000 damage at a Panorama City apartment building, Los Angeles City fire officials said.

The fire started about 10 a.m. in the 9200 block of Van Nuys Boulevard and was extinguished in about 30 minutes, said Jim Wells, spokesman for the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

Residents of the three-story, 36-unit building were “almost exclusively elderly people and some younger people who appeared to be handicapped,” said Sgt. John Rygh of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Two Van Nuys detectives, Rachel Canchola and Wayne DuFort, who were in the area on an unrelated incident, reported the blaze to the Fire Department and rescued several residents while waiting for fire officials to arrive, Rygh said.

“There were some people wandering around who were confused,” Rygh said. “One of the officers had to wrestle with an old lady because she didn’t want to leave.”

The detectives and Officer Paul Cardinet knocked out windows to lead some of the residents to safety and entered apartments to help others.

Cardinet was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center and kept for observation, Rygh said.

Canchola and DuFort were treated at Holy Cross Medical Center and released.

Resident Elizabeth Broderick went to the door of her apartment and “noticed a lot of thick black smoke in the hallway. I came in and grabbed some money and my cat Sweetums,” Broderick said.

“A policeman came in and grabbed my arm and led me out of the building.”

Broderick’s apartment was not seriously damaged.

All of those injured suffered from smoke inhalation. Five, including the three police officers, were transported to local hospitals. Two people were treated at the scene.

The cause of the blaze, which started on the first floor, was under investigation, Wells said.

Four units were seriously damaged.