LOS ANGELES — A 19-year-old man critically injured in a high-rise fire in which some residents were rescued from the rooftop by helicopter died Friday, authorities said.
The deceased victim's name was not released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, and the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
It broke out Wednesday at the 25-story Barrington Plaza apartments in West Los Angeles. Fire officials said that when they arrived, people were hanging out of windows, trying to get away from the flames fueled by high winds.
Eleven people were injured, seven of whom were taken to hospitals, including the 19-year-old, the fire department said.
As the fire raged, two people considered jumping, but firefighters used a public address system to tell them to stay put, and no one jumped. Fifteen people were rescued by helicopter, and two firefighters suffered minor burns.
Fire Capt. Erik Scott said fire was so intense, "these firefighters were literally driven to their bellies halfway through that hallway before they even got to that fire unit." The building was not required to have sprinklers because it was built before 1974, and is among 55 residential high-rises in Los Angeles that do not have sprinklers, Scott said.
