Church fire: Firefighter expected to survive injuries, official says

One of two Los Angeles firefighters injured Tuesday when a burning church roof collapsed on them was taken to a hospital but is expected to survive, officials said.

Firefighters were trying to get into the attic of the two-story Crouch Memorial Church of God in Christ at 1001 E. 27th St. at the time of the collapse. Other firefighters rushed into the building and pulled out the two buried under the rubble, Capt. Jaime Moore said.

One firefighter was treated at the scene and the other was rushed to a hospital, Moore said. The extent of the firefighter’s injuries and an update on his condition were not immediately available.

The pair “were still talking” when they were being pulled out, Fire Chief Brian Cummings told reporters at the scene.

Cummings said the firefighters may have been “pinned down or trapped by a beam.”

The two-alarm fire started in the attic about 9:30 a.m. More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze. Most of the flames had been extinguished by 10:30 a.m. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

“There was a lot of timber for the fire to consume,” Cummings said.

The large, wooden church was built in 1896 and changed hands after the original Methodist congregation moved out in the 1920s.

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