UPDATE: Three Firefighters Injured in Church Fire
Video by Kate Flexter
UPDATE | Oct. 9 10:05 a.m.: A fire that destroyed a historic church in South L.A. injured three firefighters, one of which was trapped under burning rubble. The cause of the fire is still undetermined, but officials believe the fire was accidental.
Original Story | Oct. 8: Two firefighters were taken to the hospital after being rescued from a burning church in South L.A. on Tuesday.
The historical Crouch Memorial Church of God in Christ at 1001 E. 27th Street caught fire at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Shortly after the fire department arrived on the scene, the roof of the church caved in and trapped two firefighters in the burning building, according to Fire Chief Brian Cummings.
The remaining 73 firefighters worked to rescue the two from the church. One was transported to the hospital in stable condition, while the other was treated at the scene.
The church was built between 1895 and 1896 and once served as the center of L.A.'s prohibition movement in the early 1990s.
The LAFD arson team is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, but the church's pastor thinks it may have started because of a wall heater.
