The coroner’s office Thursday identified a man who died in a house fire in Hyde Park while trying to save his mother, who also died in the blaze.
The fire was reported about 1:40 a.m. April 7 in the two-story residence at 4245 W. 62nd St. and was extinguished in about 50 minutes. Killed were Leman Reed, 49, and Mary Reed, 74, according to the coroner’s office. Both died of burn injuries and smoke inhalation, the coroner’s office reported.
“Three family members were in the home when the fire broke out,” said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “The … son attempted to save his 77-year-old father and 74-year-old mother. He was able to waken his father but they were both driven out by the flames. The father escaped onto the first floor roof and down to the ground.
“Prior to LAFD arrival, the son re-entered the home on the first floor but did not make it back out,” Stewart said. “Firefighters found his body on the first floor and his mother’s on the second floor. Sadly, both were beyond medical help.”
The father was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
— Wire reports