LAFD calls off search for man believed to have died in Mt. Washington house fire
Los Angeles firefighters on Thursday afternoon ended their search for a man who was believed to have died last week when a large Mt. Washington home was overcome by flames and destroyed.
Peter Sanders, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said cadaver dogs, fire crews and officials from local agencies helped comb through the charred rubble of the three-story home, but failed to find the man.
Crews sifted through nearly to the soil at the 9,100-square-foot property, aided by excavators and heavy equipment, fire officials said.
“Unfortunately, despite a diligent and meticulous search, no victim or remains were located,” Sanders said in statement.
The man’s identity was not released, but fire officials previously said he was 84 years old.
The cause of the fire, which broke out Oct. 20 just after 8:30 p.m., is still under investigation by the LAFD’s arson unit.
The home in the 4000 block of Sea View Avenue had up to 15 people living there at any given time, according to Daniel Nateras, a tenant who escaped.
Nateras said his landlord ran toward a bedroom but never came out of the home.
More than 150 firefighters responded to the burning house, and at one point three helicopters circled, surveying the property and monitoring whether embers ignited nearby brush.
At least one person was injured: a 74-year-old woman who suffered smoke inhalation. Sanders said she was taken to a hospital in good condition.
A 32-year-old woman managed to escape through a ground-floor window with her dog and was examined for injuries by paramedics at the scene, Sanders said. She declined to be taken to a hospital.
If arson investigators locate remains during their investigation, Sanders said, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office will be called to the home.
Twitter: @MattHjourno.
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