Mother, 3-Year-Old Daughter Killed in Inglewood Apartment Fire

from ktla

POSTED 4:20 AM, JANUARY 29, 2015, BY ASHLEY SOLEY-CERRO AND ERIC SPILLMAN, UPDATED AT 08:31AM, JANUARY 29, 2015

Family of a 22-year-old mother and her 3-year-old daughter say the two were killed early Thursday morning when a fire ripped through a 17-unit apartment in Inglewood.

Family provided this photo of Angelina Reed, 3, who they say died during a fire at an Inglewood apartment on Jan. 29, 2015.

Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in the 600 block of Queens Street (map) around 2:30 a.m. L.A. County Fire Inspector Randall Wright said.

About 55 firefighters worked nearly an hour to knock down the two-alarm blaze, and fire officials remained on the scene as of 5 a.m.

Two females died, according to the coroner’s office, which did not provide age estimates.

Family of the two victims identified them as 22-year-old Angel Reed and 3-year-old Angelina Reed.

Three others, including a firefighter, were injured, officials said.

The firefighter sustained a minor hand injury while battling the fire and was hospitalized, Wright said.

About 55 firefighters battled a blaze at an Inglewood apartment on Jan. 29, 2015. (Credit: OnScene)

Details regarding the other two peoples’ injuries were not immediately known.

After the blaze was extinguished, those who lived at the three-level apartment recounted efforts undertaken by their neighbors to alert everyone to the fire.

“We just woke up, somebody was yelling fire,” one resident told KTLA. “We looked out, we saw unit two – the balcony was engulfed in flames and we just started yelling, ‘everyone get out.’”

A second resident said one neighbor screamed and repeatedly honked their vehicle’s horn to alert people to the fire.

Two people were believed to be dead after a fire ripped through an Inglewood apartment on Jan. 29, 2015. (Credit: OnScene)

“I’m very, very grateful for them,” the woman said. “I was totally asleep and the horn honked and honked, and I was awaken and angry …. and when I awoke I could see my bedroom was orange from the flames from across the way. So I’m eternally grateful.”

Although one resident said he had smoke alarms inside his apartment, multiple residents told KTLA they did not hear any alarms during the ordeal.

The cause of the fire and extent of the damage was not immediately known.