On Wednesday, November 9, 2005 at 902 HRS, four Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, two LAFD Rescue Ambulances, one EMS Battalion Captain and a cadre of Los Angeles Fire Department Investigators under the direction of Battalion Commander John Biggs responded to a Civilian Fatality Structure Fire at 1536 West 94th Street in South Los Angeles.
Summoned by neighbors, firefighters arrived quickly to discover heavy smoke showing from a one story single family home.
Firefighters used power and hand tools to skilfully force entry through multiple security doors upon and within the redundantly secured residence. While extending hoselines into the home’s entry to battle the well involved fire in the rear of the 1,336 square foot building, they discovered the lifeless body of an adult female.
Firefighters immediately rescued the woman and initiated basic and advanced life support measures while rushing her to Centinela Hospital in grave condition.
While continuing a systematic search of the smoke charged two-bedroom home for additional victims, firefighters mounted a bold and decisive interior attack on the fire, confining it to two rooms in the rear of the home, and extinguishing the flames in just fourteen minutes.
No other injuries were reported.
Despite the prompt work of Los Angeles Firefighter/Paramedics and exhaustive efforts by hospital staff, the approximately sixty-year old woman’s pulse and breathing could not be restored at the hospital. She was declared deceased there at 956 HRS.
Seeking to offer additional comfort to grieving friends and neighbors, the LAFD mobilized Crisis Response Team volunteers to provide compassionate assistance to those closest to the victim.
During the initial phase of the fire investigation, there was no immediate evidence of functional smoke alarms within the home.
Monetary loss from the fire is estimated at $50,000 ($40,00 structure and $10,000 contents). A positive identification of the decedent, as well as the cause, manner and time of her death will be determined by Coroner’s officials.
The cause of the fire was careless smoking.