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5 Hurt, Dozens Displaced When Fire Tears Through Motel In Westlake District

WESTLAKE (CBSLA.com) — At least five people were injured and dozens more displaced when a fire swept through a three-story motel on Christmas Day in the Westlake District of Los Angeles.

"We all ended up on the balcony. Everybody is jumping. We are trying to get everybody to jump out of the windows. The fire was so big."

Residents screamed as they fled the flames reaching out of the windows at JJ Park Motel, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The blaze was reported at 6:12 p.m. Thursday at 1906 West 3rd Street, near MacArthur Park.

They said a disabled woman was trapped on the second floor: "The lady was screaming and I was praying she got out of there alive...but they got her out."

Within minutes, smoke filled the hallways and units of the building, residents told CBS2/KCAL9's Brittney Hopper.

Firefighters responded quickly, helping residents get out and rescuing the disabled woman trapped in her room.

They say if it had happened in the middle of the night people could easily have died.

At least five people were injured, likely with burns, and taken to hospitals, Hopper reported.

Twenty-four units were destroyed.

Investigators haven't confirmed what caused the fire but say they believe it was accidental.

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