A major emergency fire started in one Craftsman-style home and spread to two others in the Pico-Union area Wednesday, displacing 41 people and damaging an adjacent apartment building.
No people were injured, but a dog perished in the fire, which was reported at 4:48 p.m. at a three-story home in the 1200 block of South Bonnie Brae Street and spread to two adjacent homes of the same style, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Several people were seen climbing out of windows when the first units arrived, she said.
One person from a nearby home was evaluated at the scene for a medical complaint, but did not require hospital transport, Stewart said.
More than 140 firefighters responded and knocked down the fire by 5:56 p.m., Stewart said.
One of the damaged homes was in the 1800 block of 12th Place, behind the two on Bonnie Brae Street, she said.
The fire displaced 31 adults and 10 children, who were bussed to a fire station to await assistance from the Red Cross in finding temporary shelter, Stewart said.
One of the burned homes contained three residences and the others each contained two, Stewart said, adding that the displaced came from all three structures.
The dog who died was one of three pulled out of one of the Craftsman- style homes. The other two were reunited with their owners, according to Stewart.
A stretch of Pico Boulevard was closed as a result of the blaze, which sent flames and smoke pouring through the roofs and from upper-floor windows of the historically significant structures on Bonnie Brae Street, which reportedly were built in the early 1900s.
After the fire was knocked down, firefighters continued to work on hot spots and were expected to remain at the scene for hours, Stewart said.
–City News Service