Recently in Fire Category

Leonard Levinson, owner of The Pawn Broker, looks at the aftermath of the fire that destroyed his pawn shop and other Van Nuys businesses in the 6500 block of Van Nuys Boulevard, Thursday, April 22, 2010. | See photo gallery. (Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer)

By Kevin Modesti, Staff Writer

Thursday was the first morning in Ali Zaghari's memory that he didn't go to work at his men's clothing store on Van Nuys Boulevard.

Instead, Zaghari spent the morning starting across the six-lane street at the row of shops reduced to steel frames and ash by an overnight fire and asking people he'd never met what he's supposed to do now.

"That was my life," he said of the unfortunately named Flame Fashions Inc.

His business was one of five that were wiped out early Thursday by a fire that devastated a strip of mom-and-pop businesses in the 6500 block of Van Nuys Boulevard.

Read the full story at the Daily News.

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A fire in a single-story home in Mission Hills was extinguished by 41 firefighters in less than 10 minutes after they arrived at the scene, but resulted in the deaths of an elderly couple, fire officials announced Thursday.

Alfred and Carmen Rivas, 82 and 79, respectively, were found unconscious in separate spots inside the home at 10609 N. Halbrent Ave. shortly after the blaze was reported at 10:18 p.m. Wednesday.

Flames were visible from the rear of the home when firefighters arrived, and heavy smoke billowed out when they forced open the front door, according to Devin Gales, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A neighbor said firefighters carried the Rivases to the front yard and tried to resuscitate them, but were unsuccessful. They were transported to Providence Holy Cross hospital in critical condition, where they were pronounced dead.

They are survived by their daughter, Yolanda Rivas, who lived with them and was not home at the time of the fire. She rushed home and later learned at the scene through a phone call that her parents had died, said Robert Juarez, a family friend of 14 years.

She declined to speak to a reporter.

"She's devastated," Juarez said. "How do you tell an only child it's going to be OK? You cant.

"It's just tragic to lose both parents," Juarez said. "I mean, through the grace of God, they went together, but unfortunately for Yolanda, it's not a good day."

Alfred Rivas was a St. Louis Rams fan and enjoyed talking about football and gardening, Juarez said. He was a gentleman and always had a smile on his face, and Carmen Rivas always welcomed friends into their home for a homemade meal, Juarez said.

"They were good people, really good people," Juarez said. "Hands down, the dad had a heart of gold and the mom took care of them."

Although the front of the house and its neatly manicured garden looked untouched save for yellow caution tape strung across the front door, windows in the rear of the home had been boarded up Wednesday morning. All intact windows were blackened with soot. Charred piles of debris were heaped in the backyard.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, although Yolanda Rivas was told it may have started from an outlet in her room, Juarez said. Investigators said the home was not equipped with smoke alarms, a carbon monoxide detector or residential fire sprinklers, according to Gales.

Officials estimated the blaze cost $150,000 in damages.