Los Angeles firefighters Sunday continued an unsuccessful search of a gutted Mount Washington mansion for the remains of an 84-year-old man believed to have died in the massive blaze that destroyed the home, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
“We had firefighters there searching today but they failed to find any remains,” fire department spokesman Erik Scott said. “We’ll be back out there Monday to continue the search.”
The LAFD’s Urban Search and Rescue team spent Saturday securing collapsed ceilings and floors in the 9,111-square-foot home in the 4000 block of Sea View Avenue, according to department spokesman Brian Humphrey.
“At sunset, we suspended recovery operations but firefighters remain on scene to secure the scene and put out hot spots,” Humphrey said.
Saturday was the second day rescuers combed through “tons of debris,” Humphrey said.
The resident was believed to have died in the 8:35 p.m. Thursday fire that caused the home to collapse.
Cadaver dogs lowered into the debris Friday showed interest in certain areas, but careful follow-up searches did not turn up any human remains, Humphrey said.
“We believe his remains are inside,” he said.
Some witnesses said the man, possibly the owner of the home, may have gone back inside the burning home in hopes of rescuing several puppies and a cat that were inside.
“I don’t understand how he didn’t make it,” one resident told Channel 4. “I can’t explain it. He (texted) one of the residents, like, `Your room’s on fire’ or something. It’s weird to me. It doesn’t make sense. I keep coming, hoping he got out.”
The flames effectively razed the home, with interior floors collapsing and leaving the structure a smoldering shell of a building.
It took firefighters about three hours to extinguish the flames, but the building continued to smolder. Some neighboring homes also sustained damage from the fire and heat.
A 74-year-old woman was treated for smoke inhalation, but was in fair condition, fire officials said.
Some neighbors told reporters at the scene they have complained in the past about the number of people living in the home, with one neighbor telling ABC7: “There was always some sort of conflict going on between the tenants, physical fights, in some cases some pretty brutal fights.”
David Ortiz of the LAFD told NBC4: “At any one time, there’s 10 to 15 people living in this home. From my understanding there were 10 people last night. Four of them were aided out by the fire department.”
