At 6:07 a.m. (PST), six companies of Los Angeles city firefighters, three rescue ambulances, two arson units, and one battalion chief officer command team under the direction of Battalion Chief Michael Arguelles responded to a structure fire at 1619 E. 42nd St. in South Los Angeles/Newton. As firefighters arrived on scene they were immediately confronted with a single story, single-family residence, with fire showing from the front of the structure. Firefighters immediately began an interior fire attack, coordinated with simultaneous vertical ventilation by firefighters on the roof. Additional firefighters conducted a search of the occupancy for any trapped victims.
Fortunately, all occupants of the home had been assisted to safety by neighbors prior to the arrival of firefighters. In all, 40 firefighters controlled the incident in just 14 minutes. The incident was completed in five hours and six minutes. As a result of the fire, five adults and three children have been displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported on this Christmas morning fire. The dollar loss is estimated at $84,000 ($40,000 structure, $25,000 contents, $18,000 to two vehicles, and $1,000 to a neighbors home). The cause the fire is under investigation.