— 12 National Fire Protection Association. “Home Fires With Ten or More Fatalities.”[1]

— 10 L.A. Times. “Two Members of 18^th Street Gang Charged in 10 Murders.” 11-26-1998.

— 10 UPI. “Many fire code violations found in Westlake.” 5-24-1993.

—>9 New York Times. “Fire at Apartments in Los Angeles Kills at Least 7 Children.” 5-4-1993.

Narrative Information

May 3, NYT: “Los Angeles, — Fire swept through an apartment complex near downtown today, killing at least nine people — most of them children — and injuring more than 40 others. Seven children and two adults, one of them a pregnant woman near term, were killed, said Capt. Steve Ruda of the Los Angeles Fire Department. About two dozen people were taken to area hospitals, Fire Chief Donald Manning said. An additional 20 people were treated at the scene, officials said. Fire doors left open allowed deadly smoke to pour throughout the building, Chief Manning said. The chief said the doors were probably opened to allow ventilation during recent warm weather. The cause of the blaze was under investigation….” (New York Times. “Fire at Apartments in Los Angeles Kills at Least 7 Children.” 5-4-1993.)

May 24, UPI: “Los Angeles — Fire safety violations such as those that contributed the deaths of 10 people three weeks ago in a crowded apartment house apparently are very common in the Westlake area of Los Angeles. An investigation published by the Los Angeles Times Monday found that the densely populated neighborhood has several life-threatening violations. In addition, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s enforcement system is plagued by slipshod inspections and record-keeping, the paper said.

“The Times reviewed inspection files chosen at random for 75 of the estimated 1,200 to 1,400 apartment buildings west of downtown. The files showed most buildings did not receive required annual inspections and that some violations identified years ago never were corrected. The documents showed half the buildings had been cited for broken or missing fire extinguishers. Some buildings in the high-crime neighborhood had fire exits locked shut with chains and windows covered with steel bars that cannot be opened from the inside. One in three had been cited for fire doors that were broken or propped open. Doors illegally propped open were blamed for the rapid spread of lethal smoke in the May 3 apartment fire. Most building managers neglected to post signs telling residents how to escape. The signs that were posted usually were in English, impossible for many of the Hispanic immigrants who live there to read.

“Fire Battalion Chief Dean Cathey said the department is struggling against reduced city funding to keep up with inspections and follow-ups. Deputy City Attorney Richard Bobb, who investigates slum cases, told the Times that these overcrowded, poorly maintained buildings ‘are deathtraps about to explode.’” (UPI. “Many fire code violations found in Westlake.” 5-24-1993.)

Nov 26, 1998: Los Angeles Times (Rainey and Frammolino): “More than five years after one of the city’s worst arson fires killed three women and seven children in a tenement building west of downtown Los Angeles, prosecutors Wednesday filed multiple murder charges against two members of the notorious 18th Street gang. Prosecutors said they will attempt to try Rogelio Andrade and Allan Lobos, both 22, as adults for the fire, which they allegedly ignited to intimidate an apartment manager who had tried to drive drug dealers off her property.

“The two men pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Eastlake Juvenile Court. The 1993 fire exposed the substandard condition of many buildings crammed with immigrant families in the Westlake-Pico Union neighborhood. A Times investigation also revealed that the Fire Department inspected the area infrequently and haphazardly.

“Investigators said they suspected from the beginning that gang members set the deadly fire. But they could not identify the perpetrators until this spring, when a gang member arrested in an unrelated slaying told Rampart Division police that he knew who started the so-called “Burlington fire.”….

“The 69-unit apartment building at 330 S. Burlington Ave. was one of many in the poor Westlake community beset by gang members at the time of the fire on May 3, 1993, authorities said. Just hours before the blaze erupted, the apartment’s manager ordered two men out of the building, suspecting that they were dealing drugs. The flames spread quickly through that hot, late afternoon, left unchecked because a series of fire doors were either propped or nailed open. Most of the victims could not escape the second and third floor hallways, where they suffocated….

“After the fire, a Times investigation found that many of the dozens of apartment buildings crammed into the Westlake-Pico Union neighborhood had not been subjected to yearly inspections by the Los Angeles Fire Department. Many of the buildings had serious fire safety violations, such as missing fire extinguishers and padlocked emergency exits. The Burlington building had earlier been the target of an arson, and inspections had detected a series of safety violations there–but they were not corrected. As a result of the Burlington blaze, the Fire Department implemented a computerized inspection system to help track building inspections. An inspector immediately was added to the neighborhood’s Station 11….” (L.A. Times (Rainey and Frammolino). “Two Members of 18^th Street Gang Charged in 10 Murders.” 11-26-1998.)

Sources

Los Angeles Times (James Rainey and Ralph Frammolino). “Two Members of 18^th Street Gang Charged in 10 Murders.” 11-26-1998. Accessed 3-20-2016 at: http://articles.latimes.com/1998/nov/26/local/me-47932

National Fire Protection Association. “Home Fires With Ten or More Fatalities.” Accessed 3-20-2016 at: http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fires-in-the-us/multiple-death-fires/homes-fires-with-ten-or-more-fatalities

New York Times. “Fire at Apartments in Los Angeles Kills at Least 7 Children.” 5-4-1993. Accessed 3-20-2016 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/04/us/fire-at-apartments-in-los-angeles-kills-at-least-7-children.html

United Press International. “Many fire code violations found in Westlake.” 5-24-1993. Accessed 3-20-2016 at: http://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/05/24/Many-fire-code…/8007738216000/

[1] Appears to be a mistake. Later reporting is that seven children and three women died.

1993 — May 3, Arson Fire, Apt./Tenement Bldg., Burlington Ave., Los Angeles, CA — 10