Fire Destroys 5-Story Home In Pacific Palisades, Again: UPDATED

LOS ANGELES, CA — A fire fully engulfed a five-story hillside house in Pacific Palisades Wednesday, but no one was hurt.

The blaze destroyed a home in the same neighborhood where another set of blazes injured 5 people in April, critically injuring two people. However, authorities do not consider the two fires connected, and Tuesday's blaze is not viewed as suspicious, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman said.

Firefighters sent to the 800 block of North Las Casas Avenue about 5 a.m. found the home fully engulfed in flames, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. According to fire officials, "One adult male occupant awoke to sounds of breaking glass and was in imminent danger, but he was able to quickly exit the burning home. The house had functioning smoke alarms and thankfully, there were no injuries to either civilians or firefighters."

The firefighters went into a defensive mode, battling the blaze from the exterior as they worked to extinguish the flames and prevent them from spreading to other structures, an effort that appeared to succeed.

The fire was nearly extinguished after about two hours, and firefighters worked to douse hot spots. Crews are expected to remain on the scene throughout the day to monitor the hot spots

The cause of the fire was under investigation, but authorities do not consider the blaze suspicious. It's not the first time firefighters have been called to the area. In April, five people were injured, two critically, in a fire that apparently started in grass between two adjacent homes on the very same street in Pacific Palisades. That blaze left a 53-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man in critical condition; and a 17-year-old girl, a 14-year- old girl and a woman in her 90s in fair condition. One pet cat died in that fire.

Both fires remain under active investigation, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokes woman Amy Bastman. She emphasized that "the fire is not considered suspicious, and there is no correlation between the two fires."

— City News Service, photo courtesy of the LAFD