A vacant two-story motel in the 3100 block of South Western Avenue went up in flames Friday evening, sending visible smoke into the South Los Angeles sky as fire crews rushed to knock down the blaze before it could spread. No injuries were reported, and the cause remains unknown.
Firefighters battled the fire with crews working to put out flames that had taken hold on the motel's second floor, according to MyNewsLA.com. Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton said crews were working offensively to extinguish the flames, a strategy typically used when firefighters can safely enter and attack a fire directly rather than fighting it defensively from the outside.
No injuries were reported in connection with the fire, and the cause has not been determined. Investigators have not released any further details about how the blaze started or how long it took crews to bring it under control.
A Pattern of Vacant Building Fires in South LA
A Pattern of Vacant Building Fires in South LA Friday's fire adds to a string of blazes that have hit South Los Angeles motels in recent memory. In a separate incident, a fire tore through both floors of a two-story garden-style motel in the 10900 block of South Broadway, according to CBS News Los Angeles. That blaze broke out around 8 p.m. on a Thursday and left four people injured, including a woman, a man, and two teenage girls.
The station reported that the woman and the two girls suffered smoke inhalation, while the man sustained both smoke inhalation and burn injuries. All four victims were taken to a hospital in fair condition. Crews knocked down that fire around 8:20 p.m., though its cause was still under investigation when CBS reported on the fire.
Building Records Show Prior Code Violations Nearby
Building Records Show Prior Code Violations Nearby Separate from the fire itself, city records tied to a nearby address on South Western Avenue show code enforcement activity in the area. A Los Angeles City Clerk building and safety report lists a property at 3701 South Western Avenue in a lien matter, according to the Los Angeles City Clerk document.
The document also includes code violations and orders to comply. As of June 14, 2019, the city recorded no compliance with its order, and on August 12, 2019, the Department of Building and Safety proposed a $2,506.08 lien against the property for unpaid noncompliance-related charges. It has not been established that this property is the same motel involved in Friday's fire.
For now, the investigation into what sparked the blaze on South Western Avenue continues, with no further details released by fire officials.
