Coroner Identifies Two Victims of Century City High-Rise Blaze
The two victims of a fire that raged through a 19th-floor condominium in a Century City high-rise have been identified as Lawrence Burke, 43, a resident of the complex, and Marva Kopels, 48, of Marina del Rey, coroner’s officials said Friday.
Burke was identified from dental records. Both victims died of smoke inhalation, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s office spokesman Bob Dambacher.
Seven people were injured in the blaze Tuesday, and 250 residents were forced to flee the building in their nightclothes.
Burke’s body was found in the bathtub of his top-floor condominium, and Kopels was discovered elsewhere in the unit.
Fire officials said the cause of the blaze was under investigation, and they had not determined the cost of damage.
Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky on Friday commended six Beverly Hills police officers who helped evacuate the building’s residents.
The building that burned did not have sprinklers.
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