3 injured, several homes destroyed after massive fire in South Los Angeles

By Eric Resendiz, Carlos Granda, and WLS Staff

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    SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Five residential buildings were destroyed and three people were injured by a massive fire that ripped through a South Los Angeles neighborhood Tuesday morning.

The incident was reported around 3:30 a.m. near the intersection of Lima Street and Vernon Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officials say the flames originated at a “multi-family residential building in the framing stages of construction” and then spread to nearby structures.

Over 140 firefighters battled the flames and extinguished the fire in just over an hour.

The department says a total of seven buildings were impacted by the fire, five of which were deemed a total loss. A number of cars were also charred. About 17 residents will not be able to return to their homes.

A number of residents in the area were evacuated when the fire was raging. One of them described what it was like as they ran out the house:

“You could hear like popcorn cracking… like fireworks. It was terrible. I was screaming,” said Maria Diaz, who lives right across the street from where the fire started.

Among the three injured was a couple who was taken to the hospital with serious burn injuries. They were identified by family as Miguel Diaz, 66, and Antonia Diaz, 64.

Their son, Gerardo Diaz, says he had to carry his father out of their home to escape the flames.

“We just woke up to a nightmare at 3 in the morning,” he said. “I had to… pick him up because he had two strokes and he couldn’t walk. I had to bring him out. The first thing that just came to my mind: my parents, my family.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Diaz family.

A third person, Edy Garcia, was evaluated on scene and declined to be transported.

He told Eyewitness News he first evacuated his family and newborn son. He went back for his dogs and that’s when a piece of burning debris fell on his shoulder as he rushed out the house.

“All of our belongings are lost. Everything. What we had inside was a total loss,” he said in Spanish.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Meanwhile, L.A. Councilman Curren Price said the city’s planning to meet with those affected.

“The Council Office has been actively engaged in collaborative efforts with the Emergency Management Department and other city departments to address the situation. Working alongside the Red Cross and local nonprofits, concerted efforts are underway to provide immediate assistance to affected families. The Councilman has plans to meet with victims later today, with a focus on extending additional assistance.”

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