Firefighters Say Busted Smoke Alarm Forced Venice Woman to Jump from Window

Inoperative smoke alarms delayed fire warning signs that may have prevented a Venice woman’s injury after she jumped out of her window to escape the blaze, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Thirty-nine firefighters were dispatched to a two-story residential building at 20 Anchorage St. that caught fire at about 8:46 a.m. on Sunday. They extinguished the fire in about 12 minutes, according to fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Four off-duty firefighters were first on the scene and helped control the blaze with garden hoses before colleagues arrived to combat the blaze caused by an electrical malfunction in a living room wall outlet that sparked nearby upholstered furniture.

The resident sustained moderate injuries to her ankles when she leapt from the second-story balcony of her home. An LAFD ambulance took her to a nearby hospital in fair condition. Had the smoke alarm been functioning properly, she may have been able to leave her apartment much earlier, according to firefighters. 

The estimated damage to the home was estimated at $40,000, including $15,000 for property. No other injuries were reported.