The Planet, Shelter on Skid Row, Burns : Apparently Deranged Man Blamed; ‘Absolutely Nothing’ Left for Homeless

Another Planet, an abandoned Skid Row gas station that had been converted to a shelter and cultural center for the homeless, was destroyed early Wednesday by a fire that eyewitnesses said was set by a transient who appeared to be mentally deranged.

Fire officials said they were investigating reports that the fire was set on purpose.

Incident Related

Curtis Mercer, a homeless man who works as a volunteer at the Planet, said in an interview that he believed the incident was linked to an altercation Tuesday night with a homeless man who insisted that center volunteers waive their policy and store his duffel bag. The shelter accepts only boxes for storage.

The man threatened center officials, according to Mercer and other eyewitnesses, and returned later in the night to the center, at of Wall and Boyd Streets.

The fire began around 2 a.m.

“He (the transient) was in the room where the fire started,” said Mercer, who was asleep in a 6-foot-high loft. “I was face to face with the fire. I jumped down and shouted ‘Fire! Fire!’ and got the people out of the building.”

10 Others Escape

About 10 others escaped injuries, but within minutes, the building was gutted. Firefighters took about 10 minutes to put out the blaze.

No damage figure was calculated by officials, but some of the homeless said they lost everything they owned--blankets, sleeping bags, clothes and other belongings.

John Orono, 26, who handled the Planet’s storage operation, said at least 78 boxes containing property of homeless people went up in the flames.

“The people here didn’t have much. Now they have nothing,” he said. “Absolutely nothing.”

Others said their losses could not be quantified. “My nine years’ work of writing and planning are gone,” said Barbara Frost, an organizer of the homeless, who also lived at the Planet. “Now I have to start all over again.”

The abandoned Skid Row gas station was eccentrically decorated and was the site for poetry readings, video screenings, chess tournaments, jam sessions, games and live entertainment by Skid Row artists. Two pianos, a video recorder and a television set also were destroyed.

Before the Planet moved in, the abandoned gas station had been used as a parking lot for patrons of the avant-garde Wallenboyd Theater, which was located across the street until the spring of 1988, when the theater’s owner decided to move.

Some homeless people said they preferred the Planet because it was less regimented than other homeless shelters. “There was love and togetherness here,” said Walter Watson. “We had fun with the music and games. Nobody knew each other, but we just loved one another.”

The Planet’s creator, Clyde Casey, signed the lease for the property last April to “feed the imagination” of Los Angeles homeless people.

But recently hard times hit the Planet. As donations dwindled, Casey could not meet the $350 monthly lease payments, forcing him to give up the Planet’s two portable toilets. The owner served Casey with an eviction notice two months ago.

The facility carried no insurance, Casey said.

“Here there was laughter. It is so necessary for us here; laughter is the best medicine,” Casey said.

He sobbed as he surveyed the ruins Wednesday morning.

Casey said he was not optimistic that he would soon find another site, but promised that “another Planet will rise from the ashes.”