Fire Kills 1, Injures 3 Students

A fast-moving fire swept through a Victorian-era rooming house for USC students Monday, trapping and killing a university employee and injuring three students, officials said.

The privately owned home in the 2800 block of South Orchard Avenue was gutted in minutes, killing Darrin Dunigan, 26, a Chicago native and USC alumnus who was assistant facilities manager at the School of Business Administration.

The three injured students were trapped on the top floor of the two-story home and jumped to safety, officials said.

“I heard people screaming and glass shattering,” said Monique Perry, 20, a student who rents a room in the home next door, which also was damaged by the fire. “I looked out the window and saw flames on the first floor. In less than a minute, the fire had taken over the second floor.”

Ten students lived in the home, university officials said. The three injured students--two men ages 20 and 21 and a woman, 21--were treated at a hospital for cuts and smoke inhalation and released.

About 50 firefighters worked 26 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Fire officials said the cause of the fire had not been determined, but it appears to have been an accident.

Dunigan’s body was discovered on the upper floor, officials said, and was identified by co-workers.

Firefighters arrived on the scene less then three minutes after the 6:45 a.m. emergency call, officials said. “By the time they got there, the two-story building was fully involved,” said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Both floors of the structure were blackened by the blaze. On Monday afternoon, firefighters were still removing the charred remains of furniture and clothing.

Fire officials said the home lacked a sprinkler system. Sprinklers were not required because it was a single-family dwelling, Humphrey said. He added that it was unclear whether the home had smoke detectors.

USC officials said the home was not affiliated with the university.

“It was a private home, owned by an off-campus, private party who over the years has rented rooms to students,” said Michael Jackson, vice president for student affairs.

Jackson said the university would provide counseling and temporary housing for the displaced students at a nearby facility.

Records show that the five-bedroom home was built in 1913 and was owned by a church. The owners could not be reached for comment Monday.

Dunigan received a bachelor’s degree from USC in 1995 in administration and public planning. He was taking graduate classes this semester, school officials said. He was a member of the Trojan Knights, a campus service organization that has performed graffiti cleanup and other activities.