Cooking fire at a homeless encampment sparked Bel-Air blaze that destroyed homes, officials say

LA Times ^ | 12/12/2017 | Laurea J. Nelson

[RightGeek]

The fire that destroyed six homes and damaged a dozen others in Bel-Air last week was caused by a cooking fire at a nearby homeless encampment, Los Angeles fire officials said Tuesday.

For a “number of years,” homeless people had been living in a camp along Sepulveda Boulevard where it passes under the 405 Freeway, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Peter Sanders said.

Investigators who inspected the encampment found evidence that people had been cooking and sleeping in the area but did not find anyone there, Sanders said. The department has no suspects, he said.

Los Angeles has been struggling in recent years with a major uptick in the homeless population, with encampments spreading out from downtown L.A. into neighborhoods across the city. A report in May put the homeless population in Los Angeles County at 58,000, a 23% increase over the last year.

The count found that the homeless population in the West L.A. service area — which included the Bel-Air and Brentwood neighborhoods — increased from 4,659 to 5,511 in that period.

...

[RightGeek]

I'm shocked to hear that there is cooking going on here!

[DoughtyOne]

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[American Quilter]

I’m sure none of those wealthy liberals minded sacrificing their expensive homes for the convenience of the homeless.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Wasn’t the first time. Last excuse: “he just wanted to keep warm”.

[lee martell]

This fire is but one reason a lot of people say ‘Not in my backyard!”

[WKUHilltopper]

“Investigators who inspected the encampment found evidence that people had been cooking and sleeping in the area but did not find anyone there, Sanders said.”

Doesn’t mean they started the fire.

[lacrew]

Cooking meth probably.

[DoughtyOne]

Los Angeles has been struggling in recent years with a major uptick in the homeless population, with encampments spreading out from downtown L.A. into neighborhoods across the city. A report in May put the homeless population in Los Angeles County at 58,000, a 23% increase over the last year.

Who didn't see this coming. LOL

These a-holes are so predictable.

I think that percentage increase is pure B. S. too.

The policy is to allow encampments these days. They have popped up all over. There are some not too far from me. They didn't think this would result in massive increases in vagrants on the streets? Really?

[A Cyrenian]

Same thing happened to my town. 3 times last year. Destroyed 2 buildings that were over 100 years old.

Told my wife at that time, I don't think we can afford the homeless in this town. They are destroying historic landmarks.

[DoughtyOne]

Well sure. Shouldn’t all homeowners be subject to being burned out by indigents? Why I think so. Who cares if you worked the last 22 years to buy your home. The homeless have equal rights with you. Too bad for you!

Lunacy...

[clintonh8r]

They’re just fine upstanding, law abiding citizens who are going through a bit of a rough patch.....

(Do I need the sarc tag?)

[Robert A Cook PE]

Homeless cooking fires under a bride in Atlanta last year burned out the bride when fibre optic cables caught fire. And here is democrat Los Angeles. ... permitting the exact same thing.

Notice that homeless stories are “back in style “ now that Trump recovery is accelerating?

[Safetgiver]

In other words “Trump’s fault.”

[Robert A Cook PE]

Bridge. Ain’t no bride’s getting burned up.

[HighSierra5]

Put these bums in barracks and make them clean up the public areas. If they don’t want to,too bad. This makes too much sense. The communist city and state governments need to have a reason to blame this problem on decent folks.

[Jolla]

Cooking meth probably

no just food - they usually break into someones summer cabin during the winter and cook

[SkyDancer]

As George Carlin once said: “They’re house-less not homeless. Everyone has a home, you just need a house to put it in” (along with your stuff).

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

So the wildfires are Trump's fault. His mis-handling of the economy, which suddenly went from bust to boom the moment he took office, caused a homeless problem all over the US. (There were *NO* homeless Americans during the 8 long & glorious years of Hope & Change).

So Trump created the homeless problem, and their cooking fires, along with the Trump-caused Global Hot Air Crisis, are responsible for CA's woes.

[Thibodeaux]

They were roasting marshmallows and making S’mores.

[morphing libertarian]

bkmrk