Crime & Safety
Demolition Crew Finds Human Remains in Fire-Gutted Mount Washington Mansion
An 84-year-old man went missing in the October inferno, and his body was never found despite extensive searches.
LOS ANGELES, CA -- A demolition contractor notified authorities Wednesday of the discovery of what are believed to be human remains at the scene of an Oct. 20 fire-gutted Mount Washington mansion.
The remains may be that of the 84-year-old homeowner thought to have died in the blaze in the 9,100-square foot hillside home in the 4000 block of Sea View Avenue.
His housemates speculated that the man may have gone back inside the burning home in hopes of rescuing several puppies and a cat.
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The Los Angeles Fire Department will assist the Los Angeles Police Department and the coroner's office as needed in the recovery effort and ongoing investigation, said the LAFD's Brian Humphrey.
In the wake of the blaze, the LAFD, in collaboration with numerous city and county agencies and private crane contractors, "conducted a painstaking and methodical search" for human remains, but did not find anything, LAFD spokesman Peter Sanders said last fall.
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The flames effectively razed the home, with interior floors collapsing and leaving the structure a smoldering shell of a building.
It took firefighters about three hours to extinguish the flames, but the building continued to smolder. Some neighboring homes also sustained damage from the fire and heat.
A 74-year-old woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
City News Service; Photo: by Harry Garvin courtesy of the LAFD