Recently in fire Category

PASADENA -- A fire caused about $350,000 worth of damage to a Pasadena home Sunday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported just after 4:30 p.m. at a large, two-story home in the 300 block of Manford Way, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
A man and woman were displaced in the fire, but were going to find temporary lodgings with friends or relatives, Derderian said.
Firefighters encountered flames in the walls and attic of the home upon arrival, she said.
About 28 firefighters extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes, she added.
Two cats were missing after the fire, Derderian said, however officials believe they escaped the blaze.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.

PHOTO courtesy of the Pasadena Fire Department

PASADENA -- A fire damaged a house and displaced two families Saturday, officials said.
The blaze was reported about 9:20 p.m. at 1438 N. Garfield Avenue, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The fire caused about $100,000 worth of damage to the house and its contents, officials said.
Two families - amounting to seven children and four adults -- were displaced by the blaze, authorities said. The Red Cross placed on of the families at a nearby motel, while the other family chose to stay with relatives.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, officials said, and firefighters requested city officials inspect the home.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- A fire damaged a South El Monte upholstery manufacturing business Thursday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 6:20 p.m. at the business at 9904 Hayward Way, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Fred Stowers said.
About 60 firefighters extinguished the fire in just under an hour, he said.
The fire in the 200-foot by 150-foot commercial building mainly centered in the warehouse portion of the structure, Stowers said.
No injuries were reported, he added. The business was closed for the day when the fire broke out.
The cause remained under investigation, Stowers said.
A dollar-value estimate of the damage to the building and its contents was not available late Thursday, he said, though it did not appear to be a total loss.

COVINA -- Firefighters made quick work of a 1-acre brush fire Friday reported in an unincorporated county area known as Covina Hills, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 2:30 p.m. along the westbound 10 Freeway near Via Verde, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Frederic Stowers said.
Five fire engines and a helicopter were able to extinguish the flames in about 20 minutes, he said.
The fire was initially reported as a quarter-acre of brush burning uphill through light brush, Stowers said.
No injuries were reported and the fire did not appear to have threatened any structured, he added.
The cause remained under investigation.

BASSETT -- A mobile home was destroyed by fire Saturday, though the resident was able to escape unharmed, authorities said.
The blaze broke out about 8 p.m. at the Wildwood Mobile Home Country Club, 901 Sixth Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Hiroshi Yokoyama said.
Officials found the mobile home engulfed in flames, it was ultimately declared a total loss, the lieutenant said.
The dollar-value of the damage was estimated at $100,000, he added.
The cause of the fire initially appeared to have been some sort of electrical short, Yokoyama said.

No evacuations underway, but this might be the season's first wildfire, from Valley News:

TEMECULA- A wildland fire that began at approximately 2:34 p.m. west of Temecula in the De Luz area of Riverside County is now reported to have encompasses between 75 and 100 acres.

With winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour, officials say the blaze is moving toward Winchester Road.

Rancho California Road has now been closed in both direction at Business Center Drive.

Firefighters on the scene say the fire is burning in steep, dense terrain in heavy fuel (brush-filled) areas.

Fire officials have not indicated any evacuations are underway at this time.

Authorities are responding to a two-alarm commercial structure fire in the 13200 block of East Brooks Drive in Baldwin Park. Apparently one unit of the building is heavily involved in flames. Intrepid SGV Trib reporter Jennifer McLain is on the way to the scene. More details as they come in...

This comes from reporter Robert Hong:

PASADENA - A man was found dead inside a suspected residential care home after it caught fire Friday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported shortly after 5:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Del Monte Street, Pasadena police Lt. Tom Delgado said.
The house was well-involved with flames when firefighters arrived, and smoke could be seen from several blocks away, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The body of a man was found inside the home, she said.
The deceased was identified as 80-year-old Azariah Stoney, according to relatives and residents of the care home. Several of the residents said Stoney enjoyed smoking cigars.
Frederick Wallace, who identified himself as a relative, said Stoney was a Jamaican immigrant and a professional painter.
"He is from the old-school," Wallace said. "He went to work every day at 8:10. At 80 years old, he went to work every morning even if he didn't have work to do."
Brother Jaysee, a community activist who lives nearby, said he knew Stoney from being in the neighborhood.
"He was a good man - a hard-working man - who was doing the best he can," Jaysee said. "It is unfortunate."
Henry Butler, a resident of the home, said he saw smoke coming from Stoney's room when the fire broke out.
Butler said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran inside, but there was too much smoke.
"I couldn't see anything," he said.
The fire was put out in 20 minutes, according to Derderian. Damages to the home were estimated to be about $300,000, she said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
A 61-year-old man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not wish to be hospitalized, Derderian said.
About 17 men lived in the residential care home and were displaced by the fire.
The Red Cross was sent to help find them a place to stay, Derderian said.

AZUSA -- A fire blamed on an electrical space heater left running to close to a fuel source displaced 18 residents, including seven children, from an apartment building and caused about $300,000 worth of damage, authorities said.
The blaze was reported just after 9 p.m. at a four-unit apartment complex at 737 S. Lark Ellen Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Richard Mejia said.
All the residents managed to get out of the burning building before firefighters arrived, the captain said, and no injuries were reported.
The fire started in a garage attached to one of the units, Mejia said.
A man who was living in the garage reported after turning on the heater, he awoke to a fire and tried to put it out himself before rushing to evacuate the others in the building, Mejia said.
The garage was completely destroyed, he said.
The apartment attached to the garage, which housed 11 people, sustained significant burn damage to a bedroom, the captain said. An adjacent apartment, which housed five people, sustained smoke damage.
Two unoccupied apartment in the complex were not damaged, he said, though officials red-tagged the entire building until it can be inspected and repaired
Mejia said about 30 firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 20 minutes.

ALHAMBRA -- An apartment complex was rendered uninhabitable Sunday after a blaze ignited in one of the units, officials said.
The incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. at a four-unit apartment building in the 200 block of South Curtis Avenue, Alhambra Fire Department Battalion Chief John Cermak said.
No one was injured in the fire, which caused $125,000 to $150,000 in damage, Cermak said.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.
The flames were kept largely isolated to a single upstairs apartment and an attic it shared with other units, the battalion chief said.
About 50 fire officials had the fire extinguished in about 45 minutes, he said.
All four apartment in the building sustained smoke damage, however, and the apartment directly under the burning one was damaged by water, Cermak said.
It was not clear Sunday when the residents would be able to move back in, he added.
Only the apartment building owners were present during the blaze, he said.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- A series of three small fires -- possibly started by big rig's brakes -- scorched brush along the 60 Freeway near the Whittier Narrows Recreation area at about 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The largest of the three blazes, which burned as much as half an acre, ignited on north side of the freeway near Rosemead Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Frederic Stowers said.
Two smaller fires were reported just to the west near Peck Road, he added. One burned about 400 square feet just north of the freeway, while another scorched a very small area nearby.
"What we think happened is an 18-wheeler might have been throwing off heat sparks from its brakes," Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Robert Rodriguez said.
No structures were threatened, the inspector said, and a quick reaction by fire Los Angeles County Fire Station 90 stopped the blaze before is spread to heavier brush.
An inmate fire crew based in Azusa assisted firefighters from several area fire stations in the effort. About 30 fire people handled the blazes.
The right lane of the westbound 60 Freeway was shut down during the firefight to make room for equipment.
Firefighters drove up and down the freeway looking for additional fires, Stowers said, but none were found.

PASADENA -- A police officer working at the Pasadena Marathon Sunday kicked in the door of a burning house and rescued a man trapped inside, officials said.
Paramedics successfully resuscitated one cat that was inside the home, however three others died in the blaze, Pasadena Fire Department Spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The fire broke out shortly after 7 a.m., just as the 5K Fun Run portion of the marathon was beginning, Derderian said. The burning home was about two blocks from the start of the race, on Del Mar Boulevard near Allen Avenue.
"He heard a gentleman inside the house yelling, so he kicked down the door and helped the resident outside," she said.
Burbank Police officer Kerry Schilf, a 17-year veteran of the force, was assisting Pasadena police with traffic control for the marathon when the fire ignited, Burbank police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said.
Flames were already coming out of the homes windows when Schilf reached the scene, he added.
As the officer approached the house, it became clear there was someone trapped inside, unable to open the door, Derderian said.
A paramedic team, which was also nearby due to the marathon, quickly arrived to treat the 66-year-old man, officials said. His hair was singed but he did not want to go to the hospital.
"His primary concern was his cats," she said.
The paramedics used oxygen to resuscitate one of the animals, she said, while three others died in the fire.
The cause of the blaze, which caused an estimated $150,000 in damage, remained under investigation, Derderian said.
The resident, who was alone in the house, was awakened by a smoke detector, she added. Without the device, "It could have been a lot worse."
Officer Schilf was not injured, Ryburn said.
"He did a wonderful job," he said. "We're very proud of him."

*Photos come courtesy of the Pasadena Fire Department.

The Los Angeles County Coroner is asking for the public's help identifying a body found in Sylmar last year.

The man's corpse was discovered on Oct. 13 on a hillside at Foothill Boulevard and Paxton Street near the overpass of the east-bound SR-118 freeway and the south-bound I-210 interchange, after a fire had been extinguished.  The fire was an extension of the Marek wildfire.  

He was white or Hispanic and 45 to 60 years old.  He stood about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed approximately 100 pounds.

He may have lived in a makeshift shelter in the area. A dog was found with him. The dog had a blue collar with "WOOF" in clear stones.  

Anyone with information can contact Investigator Daniel Machian at (323) 343-0754 or the Coroner Investigations Division at (323) 343-0714.