Firefighters and police pulled three victims from a burning Hollywood home Thursday where a suspected gunman and another victim were later found dead.
The two corpses were found after the fire was out and responders were able to search the structure, according to an Associated Press report (http://abcn.ws/z0If7p).
Police and firefighters found the three other victims shot at the home. They were transported in serious condition and expected to survive.
At the height of the fire, TV news helicopters over the scene showed armed police officers crouching near the corner of an apartment building as firefighters trained hoses on the flames from a distance. Other firefighters stayed behind the protection of a fire apparatus.
The one-story home was already smoking when firefighters were called to the scene. The shooting has been described as “domestically motivated.”
The fire may have started in a detached garage at the rear of the home. Firefighters could only fight the flames from the exterior of the structure, unable to enter the home because of the possibility of the gunman opening fire.
In less than two hours, fire vented through the roof and destroyed most of the home. One hundred thirty firefighters responded to the scene, but the fire was reportedly fought largely in a defensive mode.
Shooting incidents of this nature require coordination and communication between agencies. For more training info on such responses, considerMass-Shooting Incidents: Planning and Response,Free Firefighter Training: Response to Mass Shooting Events,Responding to Active Shooter Incidents, andFire Commentary: Tactical Police Operations.
