Arson Blaze at Brentwood Townhouse Development - $50,000 Reward Offered

BRENTWOOD - An early morning blaze at a large townhome complex that was under construction, brought nearly 160 Firefighters to the scene and caused 35 local residents to be evacuated.

At 3:37 am on November 10, 2011, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a "Structure Fire" at 12315 West Gorham Avenue in this normally quiet, Brentwood neighborhood. First arriving resources found a large townhome development with "heavy fire showing." The six-unit, wood-framed complex was in its construction phase, where at least two of the units were fully involved in fire. Four of those six structures were severely damaged as a result of their highly combustible state.

Additionally, five adjacent structures were evacuated for precaution. Two of those structures- one, a small apartment complex and the other, a single family dwelling, did sustain significant fire damage. As many as 10 families were displaced from those two occupancies.

As the investigation continued and the totality of the damage assessed, evacuees were to be temporarily housed at the Barrington Recreation Center, with assistance from the Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks Department and the City's General Services Department. Ultimately, the sheltering facility was not required, as the displaced residents were able to obtain assistance from family and friends in the area. The local Red Cross was also available on-scene, to assist these families with any immediate needs.

Largely due to an aggressive fire attack by the LAFD, the footprint of this blaze was kept in-check and fully extinguished in one hour and 39 minutes. Fortunately, there were no injuries to any civilians or Firefighting personnel.

After a thorough investigation, the Los Angeles Fire Department Arson Counter-Terrorism Section has determined the cause to be Arson. The Los Angeles Fire Department is asking anyone with information that may assist with the ongoing investigation to please contact the LAFD's Arson Counter-Terrorism Section at (213) 893-9800. The dollar loss estimates are not yet available.

Update: Arson Counter-Terrorism Commander Battalion Chief Michael Greenup spoke at a news conference with Los Angeles Council member Bill Rosendahl and members of the Arson Counter-Terrorism Section announcing a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, apprehension or conviction of the person or persons responsible for the arson fire which occurred on November 10 at 12319 Gorham Avenue. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the LAFD Arson-Counter Terrorism Section at 213-893-9850 or lafdarson@lacity.org.

Dispatched Units: E19 RA19 E237 E37 T37 RA37 EM9 BC9 E59 E261 T61 E26 E292 T92 E71 E269 T69 E62 E263 T63 E43 DC3 SQ21 EM14 BC18 BC10 BC4 BC11 BC14 T88 E288 E88 UR88 RA88 RA827 BC5 E63 H6 RA59 RA92 RA71 EM11 E290 AR2 E94 E226 T26 E93 E210 T10 E15 T66 E266 RT59 EA2 EA1 E229 T29 E203 T3 E233 T33 E68 RA17 RA909 RA867 EM17 AR9 AR17 AR11 AR3 T29 E229 T94 E294 E3 E12

(video)
(photo)

Submitted by Matt Spence, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

Follow @LAFD and @LAFDtalk on Twitter and find us on Facebook

Article any source