Firefighters arrived quickly to discover smoke from the top floor of a 50′ x 25′ single family second-story residence over parking.
During initial fire attack, firefighters discovered the lifeless body of a 77 year-old male in a ground floor annex to the rear of the home. Without vital signs of life and beyond medical help, he was declared deceased at the scene.
A swift and well coordinated assault by firefighters confined the blaze to the second floor and attic on the north side of the home. The fire was extinguished in just 32 minutes, and no other injuries were reported.
The presence of smoke alarm(s), their functional status and role at the time of the fire could not be immediately determined.
There were no obvious non-fire factors impeding the victim’s egress. The home’s security doors – including one near where the man was found, were equipped with legally compliant single cylinder deadbolt locks that required no key, tool or special skill to exit.
The home was not equipped with residential fire sprinklers.
A positive identification of the deceased man, as well as the precise cause, time and manner of his death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
Monetary loss from the fire is estimated at $200,000 ($150,000 structure & $50,000 contents).
The cause of this midnight blaze remains under active investigation by Los Angeles Police and Fire Department Investigators.
Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department Follow @LAFD and @LAFDtalk on Twitter and find us on Facebook
