Man Found Dead at Scene of Brentwood Fire

On Monday, April 13, 2009 at 3:38 AM, 5 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 2 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 6 Arson Units, 1 EMS Battalion Captain and 1 Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 38 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Battalion Chief Randy Beaty, responded to a Structure Fire with Civilian Fatality at 12026 Benmore Terrace in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles.

Firefighters arrived quickly to find heavy fire showing from the upper "street level" floor of a 2-story terraced hillside home.

Aided by precise vertical ventilation, firefighters made an aggressive interior attack on the blaze, confining the fire to the upper floor and extinguishing the flames in just 28 minutes.

During a methodical search of the 3,234 square-foot residence, firefighters discovered the body of an elderly male. Beyond medical help, he was declared deceased at the scene.

No other injuries were reported.

The presence of smoke alarm(s), their functional status and role at the time of the fire could not be immediately determined. There were no window security bars or obvious non-fire factors to impede egress. The 56-year old home was not equipped with fire sprinklers.

A positive identification of the dead man, as well as the precise cause, time and manner of his death will be determined by the Coroner's Office.

Monetary loss from the fire has been estimated at $1,750,000 ($1,500,000 structure & $250,000 contents). The cause of this early morning blaze remains the focus of a joint Police and Fire Department investigation.


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department