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Sunday, August 24, 2014 | 
FAIRCREST HEIGHTS – A male in his 70’s, two dogs and a bird were found dead in a burning home Sunday afternoon.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 4:51 PM on August 24, 2014 to the report of a structure fire at 1568 South Point View Street in the Faircrest Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Firefighters arrived quickly to find heavy smoke showing from the attic of a one story 1,544 square-foot home.
Access was difficult due to excessive storage in front yard, back yard, roof and throughout the 80 year old residence. During fire attack, LAFD responders discovered a man without vital signs of life, who was later determined to be dead at the scene.
Ninety-seven firefighters under the command of Battalion Chief Kevin Pearson were able to fully extinguish the flames in just 31 minutes. Two dogs and a pet bird also succumbed in the fire. No other injuries were reported.
Firefighters found no evidence of functional smoke alarms inside the residence. The home was heavily damaged by the fire, and was not equipped with optional residential fire sprinklers.
A positive identification of the victim, as well as the cause, time and manner of his death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.
As LAFD Arson Investigators were seeking the cause of the fire, firefighters canvassed the neighborhood as part of the LAFD’s Smoke Alarm Field Education (SAFE) Program, distributing free smoke alarms and fire safety information.
Monetary loss from the fire is still being tabulated. The cause of the blaze remains under active investigation.
Dispatched Units: E58 RA858 E68 E261 T61 RA61 E292 T92 EM11 BC18 E62 E61 E294 T94 E43 DC1 BC11 RA68 E34 E237 T37 EM1 BC1 T5 E205 E5 UR5 UR88 BC4 E26 AR2 AR1 RT59 RA892 AR11 RA894 AR21 AR13 E58 T94 E294 AR21Submitted by Shawn Lenske, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
4 comments:
97 firefighters to extinguish a 1544 sq ft., one story, single family dwelling???
Anonymous 9:59,
Yes, the total represents the entirety of LAFD personnel who were "dispatched to the incident" and worked at the scene (often on a rotational basis) over a nearly 8 hour time span to address all issues of incident management, including the support of a comprehensive death investigation. The specific units are identified above. We hope this information helps.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Hi,
I work for a large insurance company and assess fire and safety for the company. I am often face to face with the apartment and building owners. What is the number of civilian deaths due to non working smoke alarms thus far in 2014? Isnt it at about 19 now?
thank You
Anonymous 8:30,
The fatality mentioned above was the 18th year-to-date "death at the scene of a residential structure fire in the City of Los Angeles". Since this incident, a pair of fatalities at an apartment building in Encino - where there was also no immediate evidence of a functional smoke alarm, has raised the count to 20 for calendar year 2014.
We hope this information is helpful to you.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
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