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Deadly Hollywood house fire under investigation
A teenage girl was killed and a 70-year-old woman is in grave condition following a fast-moving house fire in Hollywood early Wednesday morning.
LOS ANGELES - A tragic early-morning house fire in Hollywood has claimed the life of a 15-year-old girl and left an elderly woman fighting for her life.
Investigators are now trying to determine if the blaze was part of a string of intentionally set fires in the area.
What we know:
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the single-family home on Vista Del Mar Avenue near yucca Street just before 3 a.m. Wednesday.
More than three dozen firefighters battled the blaze for nearly half an hour before gaining enough control to enter the structure.
One they were able to safely go inside, firefighters discovered the teen girl's body. She died at the scene.
An elderly woman believed to be the girl's grandmother was taken to the hospital, where she remains intubated in the ICU in grave condition.
According to the LAFD, some firefighters were already in the area battling other "rubbish fires" when the call for the Vista Del Mar residence came in.
What we don't know:
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire or where it originated within the home.
The teen's identity has not been released.
Investigators have not yet confirmed if the specific person caught on camera is responsible for the fatal structure fire on Vista Del Mar.
What they're saying:
Witnesses and local building managers have reported a troubling pattern of activity.
One witness told FOX 11 his cameras caught the suspect starting the fire on purpose.
His surveillance footage is expected to be a critical piece of evidence for the LAFD Arson Section as they look for a connection between the residential tragedy and the smaller fires at Yucca and Ivar and Yucca and Wilcox.
What's next:
Members of the LAFD's Arson Section are conducting a formal investigation to determine if the fire was accidental or suspicious.
The medical examiner’s office will perform an autopsy to confirm the cause of death for the teenager.
The Source: This report is based on information from the Los Angeles Fire Department.