Woman, 2 children rescued from South Los Angeles apartment fire

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Firefighters rescued a woman, a baby and a little girl trapped inside a burning apartment complex in South Los Angeles.

The structure fire erupted around 10:30 p.m. Monday in the 400 block of 80th Street. Firefighters encountered a wall of flames when they arrived on scene.

Crews used a ladder to reach the second floor, where a woman handed the two children to firefighters. The woman was also able to escape the flames. No injuries were reported.

The blaze actually started next door, where Edna Calderon lives with her family. They, too, like their neighbors, got out safely. She said she couldn't believe how quickly firefighters responded.

It took 39 firefighters around 15 minutes to knock down the fire.

Calderon said even though much of her home is charred, she feels lucky.

Families from both apartment units are receiving help from the Red Cross.

Fire officials have ruled the cause of the fire as accidental.