The Brief
- Neighbors say vacant buildings on a downtown Los Angeles block have caught fire repeatedly over the past two months, raising fears the blazes could spread.
- Business owners and residents say people continue breaking into the vacant buildings and are urging the city to secure or demolish them.
- Residents say they’ve repeatedly contacted Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office, while the mayor’s office referred FOX 11’s questions to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
LOS ANGELES – Neighbors and business owners on a downtown Los Angeles block say they’re living with a dangerous cycle of fires at vacant buildings, claiming the blazes have happened repeatedly over the past two months with little action to stop them.
Residents along South Hope Street say multiple abandoned buildings have caught fire again and again, leaving behind charred structures and raising fears that the next blaze could spread to occupied buildings.
FOX 11 first reported on the problem in May, when neighbors warned that people were repeatedly breaking into vacant buildings on the block. They say those concerns have only grown as more fires have erupted.…