A man and woman were hospitalized and two dogs injured, when fire erupted in a west San Fernando Valley home Wednesday morning.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 9:59 AM on October 22, 2014 to 8219 Quartz Avenue in Winnetka, where firefighters arrived quickly to find a small one-story home well involved with fire.

As the firefight ensued, LAFD Firefighter/Paramedics aided one man who suffered smoke exposure and a burn to the elbow. LAFD crews battling flames searched for and rescued two dogs from within the smoke charged structure, including one that was discovered hiding beneath a bed. Firefighters provided the pets with comfort, reassurance and life saving oxygen.

A total of 41 firefighters under the command of Battalion Chief Glenn Miyagishima confined the blaze to the building of fire origin and nearby vegetation, with superficial damage to a parked motorhome. LAFD responders protected nearby homes from damage and extinguished the fast moving flames in just 17 minutes.

Soon after the fire was extinguished, two additional residents came forward desiring medical attention. A man exposed to smoke ultimately declined further care, while a woman with non-fire related medical concerns agreed to go to the hospital for further evaluation. The woman and the man that earlier suffered the elbow burn were taken by ambulance to area hospitals in fair condition. The pets were placed in the care of the Department of Animal Services. No other injuries were reported.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross responded to assist five displaced adults with temporary living needs.

Due to severe fire damage, the presence of smoke alarms and their functional status at the time of the fire could not be immediately determined. The 75 year-old home was not equipped with residential fire sprinklers.

Fire loss to the building and motorhome is still being tabulated. The cause of the mid-morning blaze remains under active investigation.

Dispatched Units: E104 E103 RA903 E273 T73 RA73 E296 T96 EM17 BC17 E72 RA873 T96 E296 RA107 EM15 RA72 AR2 RA73