Couple Die in Latest in Series of Arson Fires

An elderly couple died Tuesday morning as a result of a house fire that investigators say may have been the work of a serial arsonist terrorizing a neighborhood of neat bungalows in Southwest Los Angeles.

Caleb Young, 85, died in the blaze and his wife, Ollie, 81, died after she was rushed to a hospital. Both victims suffered burns and smoke inhalation in the fire that gutted their white frame home, arson investigators said.

The fire in the 2000 block of West 30th Street was one of a dozen suspicious blazes in the neighborhood over the last three to four weeks, said Phillip J. Weireter, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.

The series of fires has damaged houses, garages and vehicles, but there had been no injuries until the Youngs died Tuesday morning, Weireter said. He added that no suspects had been caught.

Set in a neighbor’s garage, one of those earlier arson blazes severely damaged the rear of the Youngs’ home on Christmas Eve, fire officials said.

The Red Cross had offered the couple vouchers to obtain temporary housing during repairs, but they were too attached to the bungalow to leave. The repairs had just begun when the second fire was set.

Neighbors and relatives stood grieving in front of the burnt-out bungalow Tuesday afternoon. Smoke had stained the white, wooden shingles over the wide porch and heavy stone balustrades. Pink roses and bird of paradise flowers bloomed near the front steps.

Inside, the home was a charred ruin. The floor was crumbly, soft and wet. Family photos were blackened by heat and soot. Oddly, though, some things survived: albums, for example, in which the Youngs saved Christmas cards.

As arson investigators poked through the ashes for clues, firefighters fanned out through the neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, handing out leaflets to nervous residents. The residents were asked to call (213) 485-6175 if they had any information about the blaze. “This is one in a series of fires occurring recently in this area,” the flyers read.

Weireter said investigators are exploring the possibility that all the blazes are the work of one arsonist.

Residents, too, fear that a firebug may be stalking the area. Many of them are elderly people who have lived in the neighborhood for decades, raising their children in the well-maintained homes with neatly trimmed lawns. Over the years, the quiet avenues have been a peaceful enclave amid the meaner streets that surround the neighborhood.

“We bought this little house in ‘45, and now all this trouble is started,” said 79-year-old Moralle Gray, a widow who lives on 30th Street. She said that the garage of a neighbor to the rear of her home was recently set on fire.

“I have to sleep with one eye open,” she added.

“It’s very scary,” said Sherry Travis, a 20-year resident of the neighborhood, as she watered her lawn. “Will your house be next when you go to sleep?”

“It’s frightening,” agreed Sylvester Bank, who has lived in the neighborhood for 10 years. “I just wish somebody would catch whoever is doing it. I will be on the lookout for him.”

Caleb and Ollie Young were married 54 years ago. They moved into the bungalow in 1946. Caleb worked as a presser at a dry cleaner in Burbank and Ollie was a homemaker.

“They were just two people who lived for each other,” said Alfonso Campbell, a neighbor.

The Youngs had no children, but they lavished attention on their nieces and nephews.

Nephew Walter Young has fond memories of the late 1940s and early 1950s when he would ride streetcars to spend weekends at the home of his aunt and uncle. He also recalls his uncle driving him all the way to San Francisco to see a football game.

“They were warm and loving people,” said Marilyn Young, Walter’s wife. “I admired their strength as a couple. They just kind of nurtured everyone in their own little ways and with cards and phone calls.”

They also loved animals and had buried two dogs in a pet cemetery. Their last dog was a little mutt named Bobo. On Tuesday morning, he ran terrified from the flaming house, crossed the street, lay down and died.