Officers Rescue Woman on Skid Row From Tent Fire

Two people, including a police officer, were injured when a tent on Skid Row caught fire early Thursday morning.

A tent fire threatened Skid Row woman's life (LAPD)

LAPD officers discovered a woman asleep in a burning tent near the intersection of 5th Street and Towne Avenue just before 3 a.m. An officer intervened moments before an explosion occurred and the tent was engulfed in flames.

According to the LAPD, the fire was caused by a candle that was left burning in the tent while the woman slept. The explosion was caused when a battery inside the tent caught on fire.

The officers on patrol were part of the Department's Safer Cities Initiative and just happened to be in the area at the time of the incident.

They noticed the silhouette of a person lying inside the burning tent and sprang into action to remove the woman from the tent.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded and extinguished the flames.

The officer and woman suffered only minor burns. She refused treatment, and both she and the officer were released at the scene.

LAFD treated the officer for singe burns to his arms and the effects of smoke inhalation.

LAPD said if it hadn't been for the officer's swift action, the tent fire could have lead to serious injury or death.

Skid Row is an area of Downtown Los Angeles marked by high numbers of homeless residents, many of whom live in tents and encampments on the sidewalk.