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Brentwood High-Rise Fire 'Probably' Caused By 'Discarded Smoking Material'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Investigators have been unable to determine the official cause of an Oct. 18 fire in a Brentwood high-rise, but said Wednesday it was "most probably" caused by "discarded smoking material."

The fire at the 25-story Barrington Plaza left several people injured, including a 2-year-old girl who was found with her grandfather in a 23rd floor stairwell.

The blaze also displaced 100-150 residents from 51 units on several floors of the building located in the 11700 block of Wilshire Boulevard.

The fire was reported about 11:45 a.m. in an 11th floor apartment. At the height of the blaze, a plume of black smoke was barreling from the building, with flames shooting from west-facing windows.

It took firefighters a little more than an hour to declare the fire out.

Three firefighters were taken to the Grossman Burn Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

A dog also died in the fire.

The 240-unit building was built in 1961 and was not equipped with a sprinkler system because it was grandfathered in and was not required to have one, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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