A vacant two-story house that was damaged by several fires was demolished Thursday after firefighters responded to the latest fire at the property.
The fire was reported Thursday morning at 1744 North Wilton Place between Hollywood Boulevard and Franklin Avenue. Firefighters extinguished the flames in about 84 minutes, the LAFD said.
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WATCH HERENo injuries were reported.
Details about how the fire started were not immediately available.
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SIGN UP The Department of Building and Safety red-tagged the house, deeming it unsafe to enter, after the fire. The LAFD brought in heavy equipment, including a CAT excavator, to tear down the building.
Neighbors said they believe squatters are to blame for the early morning fire. They said some people who had been living in nearby homeless encampments moved into the house.
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"Previously, it was the encampments, and when those all burned a lot of those people, we believe, ended up in these buildings on Wilton," said resident Levi Freeman.
Another resident said people who had been squatting in the house were moved out, but they soon returned.
"They… put up a new fence. The homeless people would come back the same night and cut the fence," said Nathaniel Siri.
Neighbors said there are other unoccupied houses nearby that pose problems for the neighborhood.
A spokesperson for Councilmember Hugh Soto-Martinez provided a statement to NBCLA.
"Currently, until a property is formally declared as a 'public nuisance,' the city is only allowed to access private property during an immediate public safety emergency like an actively-burning fire," said Council District 13 spokesperson Nick Barnes-Batista. "As a city, we need to fix this broken system and speed up the process to declare dangerous properties a public nuisance — so we can act faster and keep our communities safe."
