Fire tears through Woodland Hills apartment complex before knockdown

WOODLAND HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A fire caused by a cooking accident tore through an apartment complex in Woodland Hills Saturday night, gutting one unit before firefighters were able to knock it down, fire officials said.

Heavy flames and smoke poured out of the first-floor unit as firefighters worked to get the flames under control.

A resident, wearing shorts and covering his face with his T-shirt, attempted to fight the flames with a garden hose inside a stairwell at the complex as heavy smoke swirled around him. Firefighters ordered him out of the building.

The fire at the Warrner Villa Apartments was reported just after 8 p.m. and 90 firefighters worked to knock down by 8:41 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Fire officials examined one person for smoke exposure and released him at the scene. No other injury was reported, according to LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey.

The fire was confined to the one first floor unit of the building in the 5800 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Part of Topanga Canyon Boulevard was shut down between Oxnard Street and the 101 Freeway as firefighters fought the blaze.

Fire officials said carelessness while cooking is the leading cause of residential fires in the United States.

Ten people were displaced by the fire, including three other units that had smoke damage.