200 firefighters battle church fire in Glassell Park
GLASSELL PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Nearly 200 firefighters brought down flames that began in dry brush and spread to a church in Glassell Park on Tuesday.
A brush fire was initially reported at about 2:45 p.m. near the southbound 2 Freeway and Verdugo Road. The flames spread to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the 3900 block of Roderick Road.
Large flames devoured much of the roof and heavy smoke could be seen billowing from the church.
Flames were contained primarily to the attic and firefighters worked on defending the rest of the structure, said Margaret Stewart with Los Angeles Fire Department.
At one point, crews were pulled out from inside the building as a precaution and moments later the roof collapsed, LAFD Battalion Chief Phillip Fligiel said.
The fire was knocked down after about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
One firefighter suffered an arm injury as a result of the roof collapsing and another was hospitalized after complaining of dizziness.
The church has about 1,000 members and the building is about 25 years old, a former bishop of the church said. No one was inside at the time of the fire.
