50 Left Homeless as 2 Houses Burn

At least 50 people were left homeless when two Victorian-style houses were heavily damaged in a blaze Tuesday west of downtown Los Angeles.

Firefighters from 16 companies responded to the fire at 1157 and 1151 S. Hoover St. at 11:17 a.m. and had put the blaze out by 11:52 a.m., Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said.

Neighboring houses were heavily damaged, but there were no injuries, Wells said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The blaze caused an estimated $105,000 damage to 1151 S. Hoover St. and its contents and left 26 people homeless, Wells said. At 1157 S. Hoover St., damage was estimated at $55,000 with 24 residents displaced, he said.

During the fire, six children in a separate building were evacuated as a safety precaution, Wells said.

The Red Cross planned to open a temporary shelter at nearby Berendo Junior High School for the displaced residents, Red Cross spokeswoman Barbara Wilks said.

The 17 families, nine from one house and eight from the other, were expected to take temporary shelter at the school Tuesday night, the Red Cross’s Angela Tabar said.