A major fire at a Korean-American home in Los Angeles Koreatown has destroyed the building and injured one person.
The fire broke out at 10 a.m. on June 21 at a house in the 900 block of Kenmore Avenue in Koreatown.
According to resident John Hwang in an interview with FOX11, he woke up to find the outside of his home on fire. Hwang had been living in the house with his adult daughter and pet dog. His daughter was away for work when the fire broke out.
He reportedly tried to extinguish the flames in the over-century-year-old house with a hose, but the fire was too large and he called the fire department.
At this point, Hwang tried to run back into the house to retrieve his 15-year-old dog Marty McFly, named after a fictional character in the movie Back to the Future, he hadn’t been able to get out during the evacuation. However, he was blocked by the intense flames.
Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) crews responded to the call and extinguished the fire within 20 minutes. The front of the home was charred and blackened, but the exterior of the building remained intact.
Hwang later reunited with his dog which was able to get out of the house unharmed and was treated at the scene for minor heat damage and gas exposure.
One of the firefighters who extinguished the blaze was reportedly treated for a sizable cut on his left hand.
The LAFD said the fire was in a densely populated residential neighborhood, but successful containment prevented the fire from spreading to nearby homes.
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. However, it is believed that the fire may have started from a large number of small lithium-ion batteries found in the outside trash can.
“Even though you may have gotten out without getting people or pets, you should never try to go back in,” authorities said, “and then you should notify trained and equipped firefighters.”
LAFD Public Information Officer Adam VanGerpen urged residents to use caution when disposing of discarded batteries, noting that there have been several incidents this year. “Batteries are a high fire and explosion hazard and should not be disposed of in the trash.”
BY HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
