Kingsley Drive fire displaces 80 residents in East Hollywood

A pre-dawn basement fire tore through a three-story apartment building on Kingsley Drive on Thursday, Oct. 15, hospitalizing one woman and forcing more than 80 residents to evacuate.

The fire broke out around 4:24 a.m. in the basement of the building at 560 N. Kingsley Dr., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). About 160 firefighters responded. Smoke and flames shot from windows across the length of the building, ABC7 reported.

By about 5:55 a.m., flames had spread through the building's walls to units on every floor, KTLA reported. The LAFD said the fire traveled inside the walls of the structure.

Capt. Milo Cope, an LAFD spokesman, told ABC7 that basement fires are among the most dangerous because heat rises toward crews bringing hose lines down. "These older buildings don't have fire blocking in them, so the fire can travel through the wall very easily," Cope said.

One woman was taken from the building to a hospital. Her condition was not available at the time of the LAFD's report. All other occupants evacuated safely, the LAFD said.

Resident Luz Camacho, who was inside the building when the fire started, described the experience as "heartbreaking," according to ABC7. She said she grabbed her husband and they escaped through the smoke.

First-floor residents were evacuated because of heavy smoke conditions. Paramedics evaluated additional residents at the scene, KTLA reported.

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety said all front units on the first floor would be red-tagged based on preliminary information. The first floor was structurally compromised, according to The Eastsider LA. The entire building remained without power.

The American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation assisted with the response. MTA buses were called to the scene to transport displaced residents, The Eastsider reported.

LAFD officials warned that traffic near the scene would be affected for an extended period and urged drivers to use alternate routes.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The building sits near the border of East Hollywood and the Koreatown area, with sources identifying the location differently. Displaced residents can contact the American Red Cross for assistance.