Authorities are investigating a Sunday-night blaze that destroyed a two-story Victorian house and forced evacuations in a neighboring apartment building in Boyle Heights.
KTLA reported it took firefighters an hour to battle the stubborn structure fire reported just before 8 p.m. at 1519 East Pleasant Avenue. In a press release the Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a call at 7:57 p.m. but that the Victorian was already engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived on scene and it was soon determined to be a total loss.
Part of the burned Victorian collapsed onto a next-door two-story apartment building, causing the attic of that second structure to burn. Firefighters quickly put out the second blaze but residents of four units in the apartment building were evacuated. No injuries were reported and the Red Cross was notified of the incident and was expected to provide assistance to the evacuated families.
At one point the blaze was visible to motorists driving along the 101 Freeway to 60 Freeway Interchange and to residents in various Boyle Heights locations, with several videos and photos posted on social media.
Watch it burn. #nothingispermanent #boyleheights #fire #2018 #week1 https://t.co/bCgjUAd7Gg pic.twitter.com/7PMpiyOc0E
— rafa.LA (@rafa_LAphotos) January 8, 2018
It was not known if there were any occupants in the Victorian. “The 3,443 square foot building is reported to be the site of a previous burn and possibly home to transients,” the Fire Department said in the release.
The building, about a block West of Mariachi Plaza, is a former single-family home that had been converted into a nine-unit hotel that famously housed several local musicians and was once dubbed Hotel Mariachi. At least two recent fires had caused extensive damage to the property: one reported in 2010 and another last April.
Built in 1890, it was described in a 2006 real estate listing as a “home converted into a nine room hotel with two to three beds per room. Has three kitchens and 3 baths. Three car garage, basement, and attic. Great income producing property with all cash income.”
