Body found days after fire rips through vacant building in North Hills
NORTH HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A body was found inside a vacant North Hills building days after it erupted in flames, displacing residents of a neighboring apartment complex, authorities confirmed.
Since the fire broke out earlier this week, crews had been working to clear piles of debris at the burned-out building. On Wednesday, two K-9s at the scene detected human remains among the rubble, but a body was not immediately found.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that a body was located inside the structure. However, that individual was not identified.
Clearing the debris during the investigation has proved challenging. LAFD brought in heavy machinery on Wednesday to pull apart the building and allow firefighters access to the area identified by the K-9s.
"In some areas, the debris is up to shoulder high, and so, we cannot get access into all parts of that area. Because this has been vacant for some time, there's a concern of homeless people perhaps being inside of there," LAFD Capt. Erik Scott said.
Two people who live in the apartment building next door, which had to be evacuated, told Eyewitness News they often see as many as 10 homeless people at the vacant building.
"They're constantly in and out, kicking them out. They come back," next door resident Alex Avila said. "I see, like, workers coming, and they'll kick them out, and they'll fix the gates and all that, and then they'll get right back in."
On the night of the fire, tenant Edward Viramontes said he captured a photo of a woman who may have started the fire.
"People got to do what they got to do to survive," said Nikiisha Clyburn, who is among the temporarily displaced. "I'm not blaming them but the risk and the exposure (it caused) innocent people is very scary."
Clyburn and her family said they can't risk the lingering exposure.
"I almost had an asthma attack in the hallway when they were telling us we can go back in our homes," said Marcel Shelby. "They let us go back but the paramedics had to help me up the stairs because I couldn't make it."
The Department of Building and Safety yellow-tagged at least three units in the apartment building next door after they were damaged by the fire, meaning it's not safe to stay there. More than 30 people have been displaced as of Wednesday.
Residents of the apartment building were seen walking out with bags of their belongings to wait out the demolition somewhere safer.
As the building was being demolished on Wednesday, the fire flared back up. LAFD remains on the scene, putting out any hotspots. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
