Man Perishes in Sylmar House Fire
Friday, January 4, 2019
LAFD Spokesperson: Brian Humphrey
SYLMAR-
A man was discovered dead in the aftermath of a fierce home fire in the northeast San Fernando Valley late Friday night.
Neighbors alerted by one or more smoke alarms sounding inside the burning home were the first to notify the Los Angeles Fire Department at 10:50 PM on January 4, 2019 of the structure fire at 13269 Tripoli Avenue in Sylmar.
Neighbors alerted by one or more smoke alarms sounding inside the burning home were the first to notify the Los Angeles Fire Department at 10:50 PM on January 4, 2019 of the structure fire at 13269 Tripoli Avenue in Sylmar.
Firefighters arrived quickly to find heavy flames to the rear of the 1,252 square-foot one-story residence. Thirty-five firefighters under the command of Battalion Chief Nicholas Ferrari confined the blaze to structure of origin, extinguishing the flames in just 21 minutes.
Following full extinguishment, firefighters found the remains of an adult male - believed to be the home's sole known resident, inside the heavily damaged building. Volunteers from the Mayor's Crisis Response Team were deployed to assist neighbors and family at the scene in coping with the tragedy.
No other injuries were reported.
Though the 62 year-old dwelling was apparently equipped with smoke alarms as required by law, it did not feature optional residential fire sprinklers. There were no obvious features or factors noted at the premises to impair occupant egress.
A positive identification of the dead man, as well as the cause, time and manner of his death will be formally determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Monetary loss from the fire is still being tabulated. The cause of the fire remains under active investigation.
Dispatched Units: AR2 BC12 E275 E298 E75 E91 E98 PI4 RA18 RA898 RA91 RA98 T75 T98
