Man Found Dead Inside Koreatown Apartment After Fire
KOREATOWN (CBSLA.com) — One man was found dead inside an apartment in Koreatown on Wednesday after a blaze, authorities said.
The fire occurred in the 200 block of South Normandie Avenue.
More than 50 firefighters were called to a four-story apartment complex.
Authorities said the flames were largely contained to a unit on the fourth floor.
The Fire Department said it took less than 20 minutes to extinguish the fire.
When fire crews entered the unit, they found the body of one person.
Investigators said smoke detectors in the unit were working.
KCAL9's Andrea Fujii said the victim -- who residents said kept to himself -- was found in the living room.
The name of the deceased, a middle-aged man who lived alone, was being withheld until his next of kin could be notified.
A neighbor, Cynthia Gomez, took cell phone video.
She said she was grateful one of her neighbors alerted everyone to the fire.
"We just started hearing people screaming," Gomez said, "And then the fire alarms went on and some guy was knocking on doors screaming 'fire.'"
The Fire Department said it was 87 days since someone has died in a building in Los Angeles.
The cause of the blaze is unknown.
