Firefighters found an elderly man dead after a fire broke out inside a two-story home in the Los Angeles suburb of Hollywood Hills West on Wednesday, authorities confirmed to KTLA.
Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to a report of a fire at 8551 W. Lookout Mountain Avenue today at approximately 4:45 p.m.
Neighbor Jim Moore noticed smoke coming from the house and called 911, then ran in himself with a water hose.
“By the time I got to the top of the stairs, the window had been blown out,” he told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “That whole part of the building was engulfed.”
Narrow roads and the home’s hillside location made access difficult for firefighters.
A house fire occurred on Lookout Mountain Avenue in Hollywood Hills West on November 27, 2024. Caught on Alert California’s camera. Los Angeles firefighters stand at the scene of a house fire in Hollywood Hills West on November 27, 2024. (KTLA) Los Angeles firefighters. On November 27, 2024, at the scene of a house fire in Hollywood Hills West. (KTLA) Los Angeles firefighters stand at the scene of a house fire on November 27, 2024 in Hollywood Hills West. (KTLA)
“A lot of the difficulties were due to the home’s location on the hillside,” Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Adam Knabe told KTLA. “It was quite set back from the street and there were steep steps at the back of the house, making it difficult to access to install the hoseline.”
Aerial footage of the shootout captured by Sky5 showed a large number of firefighters on narrow, hilly streets as many nearby residents and onlookers stood.
The homeowner, described only as an elderly man, was found inside the home after crews extinguished the fire, but it is unclear whether the man died as a result of the fire or pre-death. be.
Armed domestic violence suspect shot dead by LA police during live broadcast
Neighbors told KTLA that the homeowner lived alone, was in his 80s, and was in poor health. No one had seen him for at least a few days.
“It’s really sad,” Moore said. “He was a good guy and a great neighbor. I was a little worried because he’s very old and I haven’t seen him much lately.”
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but arson investigators were on the scene, as is required when there is a fatality.
Source link