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Residents threatened by vacant building fires
Neighbors and business owners on a downtown Los Angeles block say they're living with a dangerous cycle of fires at vacant buildings.
LOS ANGELES - Neighbors and business owners on a downtown Los Angeles block say they're living with a dangerous cycle of fires at vacant buildings, claiming the blazes have happened repeatedly over the past two months with little action to stop them.
Residents along South Hope Street say multiple abandoned buildings have caught fire again and again, leaving behind charred structures and raising fears that the next blaze could spread to occupied buildings.
FOX 11 first reported on the problem in May, when neighbors warned that people were repeatedly breaking into vacant buildings on the block. They say those concerns have only grown as more fires have erupted.
"I'd say maybe 10," neighbor Travis McGahey said when asked how many fires had happened in the past two months. When asked if it could be more, he replied, "Yeah, maybe more. I'd say 12."
The repeated fires have scarred much of the block, with several buildings destroyed or heavily damaged.
"There's an invasion of addicts and people breaking into properties, making them their home, and then fires erupt," said Juan Gutierrez, who owns a business on South Hope Street.
Gutierrez said he has watched neighboring buildings burn while his business remains surrounded by fire-damaged properties.
"How do these fires keep happening in the same spot? I have no idea," Gutierrez said. "Even though they place signs saying you're not supposed to be in there, the sad fact is that people keep going in. They're not enforcing that. They're not enforcing anything."
When FOX 11 returned to the area Monday, crews observed graffiti vandals outside one of the fire-damaged buildings. A man was also seen walking out of one vacant structure, while another person appeared to be on the roof of a damaged building.
Neighbors say they've repeatedly contacted Councilmember Ysabel Jurado's office, asking the city to secure the vacant properties before another fire breaks out.
"People have been writing to Councilmember Jurado. As far as I know, she hasn't been taking any action," McGahey said.
Residents say they're worried the fires are gradually spreading farther down the block and fear the destruction will continue unless the buildings are secured or demolished.
"City government needs to do more than they seem to be doing," Gutierrez said.
FOX 11 reached out to Councilmember Ysabel Jurado's office and Mayor Karen Bass' office for an update on what has been done since concerns were first raised in May. As of publication, Jurado's office had not responded. The mayor's office referred FOX 11's questions to the Los Angeles Fire Department.