A fire at 2612 S Paloma St. in Historic South-Central was reported at 3:31 a.m. Monday, with heavy flames. Firefighters worked from defensive positions outside.
Fire Reported on Paloma Street
The Los Angeles Fire Department assigned Fire Station 14 to the incident.
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The structure had burned before. Firefighters worked from defensive positions outside rather than entering the building.
A Pattern Seen at Other LA Church Fires
This isn't the first time Los Angeles firefighters have had to fight a church fire from a defensive stance. A June blaze at Greater New Holy Trinity Church in the Broadway-Manchester neighborhood, reported around 5:10 a.m. in the 10800 block of South Broadway, also forced crews to stay outside because conditions inside were considered too dangerous or unstable, according to KTLA. In that case, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety later assessed the heavily damaged structure for viability and structural integrity, and no injuries were reported, though the cause of that fire remained unknown.
A similar scenario played out in 2018, when a fire ripped through an abandoned church near downtown Los Angeles at 720 W. Washington Blvd. Firefighters there quickly determined they could not safely enter the frail building, which had been constructed in 1924, according to the Los Angeles Times. That blaze drew 133 firefighters, and officials said there was no indication anyone was inside when it broke out, with crews instead focused on protecting nearby structures.
What Remains Unknown
As of Monday morning, the name of the house of worship on Paloma Street had not been identified in the fire department's public alert. The cause of the fire, the extent of the damage, and whether the structure will undergo any follow-up assessment have not yet been detailed by officials.
