RV fire in Sherman Oaks prompts concern over growing RV encampments: 'It's not safe'

SHERMAN OAKS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An RV went up in flames Thursday in Sherman Oaks, leaving residents concerned as more people are living in the vehicles along Los Angeles County streets.

The fire was reported just after 7 p.m. in the 4500 block of Sylmar Avenue. Video obtained by Eyewitness News captured a man opening a door on the RV as the fire was raging.

"Then it really got engaged and I was watching it get more fire and then the wires burned and crackled," said Jon Berg, who was in the area at the time of the fire.

Firefighters put out the blaze, but the RV was destroyed. According to residents, a man who had been living in the parked vehicle was cooking when the fire broke out.

"It's really bad," said resident Lisa Hardy. "We have a lot of RVs. This whole street was filled with RVs."

Residents told ABC7 unhoused individuals are living in the RVs that are lined up along Sylmar Avenue and other streets near Van Nuys Boulevard. Some say fires frequently break out in the area.

"We've been trying to get the laws passed so that these RVs wouldn't be out here because, obviously, they all have propane tanks inside," said Hardy. "It's not safe for the people living in the RVs or us out here."

According to recent counts, there are thousands of homeless people living in RVs across L.A. County, mainly due to the high cost of housing. Plus, the numbers continue to rise.

Residents of the Sherman Oaks neighborhood said fires are not the only problem.

"I've seen fights breaking out. I've seen people urinating in the middle of the road when I have my daughter in the car, which isn't good," said resident Rosie Rountree.

Residents are hoping city or county leaders can help get the RVs removed and help the people in need of housing.

"I mean it's unacceptable," said resident Jeri Lynch. "It's something you don't expect to see in any part of the city. I mean it's incredible."

Eyewitness News has previously reported on RV encampments in the Sylmar area. Click here to watch more in-depth reporting from ABC7 on your favorite streaming devices, like Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and GoogleTV.