Two Fires Blaze on Same Day

House Fire Damages Attic; Bank Fire Extinguished Quickly

A fire ripped through the attic of a home at 523 Las Casas Avenue, which is located south of Sunset Boulevard between Baylor Street and Bienveneda Avenue, on Wednesday, July 23. No one was injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Spokesman Erik Scott said approximately 40 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was extinguished in 47 minutes. Two residents inside the home got out of the house unharmed.

The cause of the fire is under review by arson investigation and Scott said the dollar amount in damage is still being calculated.

During the fire, some neighbors were unable to move their cars from the area and had to wait about an hour before the road reopened.

Palisadian Bob Gold was driving on Sunset when he saw the fire trucks leaving the station, so he turned to follow them. Little did he know they were heading toward Las Casas where he lives.

“We could see lots of flames and a lot of black smoke,” Gold told the Post. “Luckily, everyone is okay.”

Battalion Chief Pete Benesch said firefighters did a great job covering the furniture and material possessions. Smoke damage was severe and because of the heavy smoke, firefighters used thermal-imaging cameras to navigate.

Benesch said 11 fire stations responded and that given the large size of the home, it required a coordinated effort in the hot weather conditions.

“There’s a lot of debris to sift through,” Benesch said.

“It’s going to be awhile before they are able to get back home,” Benesch added about the residents.

On the same day, another fire began in a storage room at Citibank at 15215 Sunset Blvd., according to a Citibank representative. The fire was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt. Citibank closed for the remainder of July 23 and reopened on July 24.

— Staff Writer Sierra Shafer contributed to this report.