Two fires, reportedly caused by homeless individuals, occurred in Koreatown, Los Angeles, last weekend. With new construction and vacant buildings on the rise due to the development boom, these unsecured properties have increasingly become frequent targets for arson by the homeless population.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), a fire broke out at 8:23 a.m. on July 14 at the former Dong Il Jang Restaurant (3455 W. Eighth St), completely destroying the building.
The structure had been vacant since the restaurant closed in 2020. A total of 134 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, extinguishing the fire in 53 minutes. No casualties were reported.
Although the LAFD has yet to make an official announcement regarding the exact cause of the fire, it is believed to have been caused by homeless individuals. The building’s manager told the Korea Daily, “We locked the doors, but the homeless broke in by making holes in the walls and often stayed inside. It seems they stayed overnight and started the fire. Previous attempts by the building owner to erect a fence were unfortunately ineffective.”
The former Dong Il Jang building, constructed in 1940, was so severely burned that the interior was unrecognizable. The charred structure had collapsed, leaving debris scattered on the ground. The building’s manager expressed concerns about public safety due to the severe damage and mentioned that discussions about demolishing the building were underway.
The adjacent building also sustained damage, with a hole in the wall and water flooding the floor. This space, previously operated as a flower shop, had been vacant for several years.
Two businesses located in the same building, Top’s Art Supplies and the delivery service Hotel4Box, remained operational with minimal damage. Joanna Park, who has run Top’s Art Supplies for 28 years, said, “Fortunately, aside from some water leakage and the removal of a metal door during the firefighting efforts, there was no significant damage.”
She added, “Since the Dong Il Jang closed, there have been numerous concerning incidents involving homeless individuals. I believe demolition is a wise decision. This time, luckily, no businesses suffered major losses, but many in Koreatown have experienced significant damage due to fires started by the homeless since the pandemic.”
Prior to the Dong Il Jang fire, another significant fire occurred on July 12 at a homeless encampment in front of a Korean auto repair shop in Koreatown.
Early in the morning, a large tent near the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Hoover Street caught fire, burning surrounding partitions, tarps, and all the belongings inside. Residents of nearby apartments reported the blaze to the fire department. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The tent, which had been set up two months prior, had grown in size, becoming a shelter for several homeless individuals. The auto repair shop and nearby residents reported the tent multiple times through the “MYLA311” app but received responses indicating that city services were too busy to address the issue.
“We learned about the fire when we arrived at work on the morning,” a representative from the auto repair shop said. “Luckily, aside from some soot on the wall, there was no major damage.”
Residents had expressed concerns about the growing tent and the risk of fire. They criticized the delay in addressing the issue, suggesting that earlier intervention could have prevented the fire. If the tent had been located near a mixed-use residential and commercial building, the fire could have escalated into a major disaster. The fire department has yet to assess the full extent of the damage.
BY INSEONG CHOI, SUAH JANG, YOUNGNAM KIM [choi.inseong@koreadaily.com]
