SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A woman was livestreaming when a fire broke out Thursday morning in a busy part of downtown Sacramento, requiring her to be rescued.
A partially abandoned building on J and 8th streets caught fire just after 4 a.m., requiring first responders to shut down the heavily frequented intersection as crews struggled to find where the fire started.
Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson Justin Sylvia said when crews arrived, they observed smoke pouring out of the second floor. Firefighters were observed smashing windows as they tried to find the source of the flames.
While trying to extinguish the flames, Lydia Lesnyakov said she had just begun a six-hour livestream on an auction site when she heard sirens. She opened her office door and saw that the entire hallway was filled with thick smoke.
When Lesnyakov realized there was no safe way out for her, she said she opened her window and sat on the ledge, yelling at crews to get their attention.
“You don’t realize how quickly you can get trapped by a fire,” Lesnyakov said, with glitter still on her face. “I haven’t been in that situation before. I certainly want to have one of those ladders you throw out the window now.”
When asked how thankful she is for the firefighters, she described their response as incredible and very fast.
While there were no major injuries, Sylvia said two firefighters were taken to the hospital for symptoms of exhaustion. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Roads were closed for hours as firefighters extinguished the flames and mopped up lingering hotspots.
Sylvia said another challenge firefighters had was holes in the floors of the building because it was partially abandoned.
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