On Sunday, September 23, at 6:19 AM, 5 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 3 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 3 Arson Units, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, and 1 Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Randy Beaty responded to a Civilian Fatality Structure Fire at 958 E 104th St. in Watts.
First Companies arriving on scene reported a single family residence with one room well involved with fire. Initial reports indicated that one person was possibly trapped inside the structure. Firefighters, using a variety of forcible entry tools, cut through locked gates, security doors and window bars to gain access to the interior of the structure.
The fire was located and extinguished within sixteen minutes from the time of dispatch. As firefighters conducted a search of the home, they located a single fire victim, a 94 year old male, who had perished in the blaze. Firefighters reported that they did NOT hear smoke alarms during the firefighting effort and that security bars did hamper access into the structure.
The cause of the fire and the circumstances of the fatality are under investigation. The dollar loss is estimated at $250,000 ($150,000 structure and $100,000 contents).