1 dead after fire erupts in Southern California home

Authorities are investigating the cause of a house fire that claimed the life of a man Sunday in the Florence neighborhood of Los Angeles, officials announced.

Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to calls about the blaze at 140 E. 71 ^st Street at around 6:18 p.m.

It took 40 firefighters just 14 minutes to get to the scene, access the blaze, confine and fully extinguish flames in one room of a single-story family home, according to a department news release .

Footage of the incident posted to the Citizen App showed smoke coming from the home that could be seen from several blocks away. Firefighters were also seen on the roof of the home.

“During the well-coordinated fire attack, firefighters discovered one person deceased inside the residence,” fire officials noted in the release.

The victim was only identified as a 52-year-old man, who was beyond medical help and declared dead at the scene, officials said.

While the exact cause of the deadly blaze remains under investigation, LAFD Spokesperson Brian Humphrey said that firefighters found no evidence of functional smoke alarms in the residence and that the 101-year-old building was not equipped with optional residential fire sprinklers.

Another resident, a woman, was displaced by the fire and told officials that she would seek her own accommodations.

“A positive identification of the decedent, as well as the specific cause, time and manner of his death, will be determined by the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner,” officials added.

No other injuries were reported, and no further information was provided.

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