1 dead during apartment fire in University Park

LOS ANGELES - A person was found dead after a fire broke out at an apartment in the University Park area of Los Angeles, near the USC campus, on Tuesday afternoon.

What we know:

The Los Angeles Fire Department was dispatched to the 2300 block of S. Portland St. around 1:50 p.m., where flames were burning in a second-floor unit of a three-story apartment building housing several students.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, and while conducting a search, they located a victim in the unit. Officials said the individual was "beyond medical help" and was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors believe the victim to be a man in his 60s, who lived in the now charred apartment where the fire appears to have started.

Images from SkyFOX show extensive damage to the exterior wall and window of the unit. Cellphone video captured the intense moments as firefighters worked to contain the blaze, which was largely confined to one section of the building. The fire sent thick black smoke into the air and forced residents to evacuate.

"It happened too fast," said Alejandro Caceres, a resident. "This is the first time I’ve seen something like this in this building."

"It’s definitely something for a lot of us to process," said Alina Ritz, a USC student. "A lot of us are students living here, but we have older people too. This is the first time many of us are dealing with a tragedy like this." 

Ritz recorded video as she and friends fled the building, clutching her passport. She described navigating through thick smoke and hearing loud bangs. 

"It was just loud, like a boom and a thump," Ritz said. "I don’t know how to explain it. I kind of thought a wall fell down or something. The whole area was filled with thick black smoke. It was hard to breathe—we were coughing."

Outside the scorched apartment, a pile of burned debris and what appeared to be damaged oxygen tanks were visible, potentially key evidence as investigators work to determine the cause of the fire. Authorities have not yet released the victim’s identity or the official cause of the blaze. The investigation into the fire’s cause is ongoing.

Residents were allowed to return to their apartments Tuesday evening, though many expressed unease. "It’s kind of worrying because these things can happen at any time, and you never know," said Caceres.

The building, which is less than a mile from USC, is known as a mixed housing unit and is commonly used by students.