HOMELESS MAN DIES IN FIRE IN EMPTY BUILDING.Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer VAN NUYS - A disabled homeless man spending the night in a vacant building in Van Nuys died early Thursday in a fire that probably began when a candle fell over, officials said. The unidentified man, who had braces See curly brace. on his legs, crawled to a window of the building in the 7000 block of Hayvenhurst Avenue, attempting to get away from the flames, but security bars blocked his escape, Battalion battalion Tactical military organization composed of a headquarters and two or more companies, batteries, or similar units and usually commanded by a field-grade officer such as a lieutenant colonel. Chief Dick Markota said. ``We could not get in there to do a rapid search'' when firefighters arrived on the scene, Markota said. ``We had to fight our way into the building. When we finally knocked the fire down, we realized we had a body there. He was already expired. It's terrible.'' The building has been vacant for months, said Mike Brown, the building's owner. Brown planned to raze raze also rase tr.v. razed also rased, raz·ing also ras·ing, raz·es also ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See Synonyms at ruin. 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. the structure for a new commercial project at the site. ``The ironic thing is that we're expecting to get our final permits (Thursday),'' Brown said. The county coroner's office could not identify the body Thursday. Officials there will try to determine the man's identity using fingerprints Impressions or reproductions of the distinctive pattern of lines and grooves on the skin of human fingertips. Fingerprints are reproduced by pressing a person's fingertips into ink and then onto a piece of paper. , dental X-rays, body X-rays or DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. , but the process could take weeks, County Coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz said. Firefighters believe transients have been using the vacant building for shelter during cold nights. At least two others were likely in the building when the fire started just after 7 a.m., Markota said, but they scattered Scattered Used for listed equity securities. Unconcentrated buy or sell interest. before firefighters arrived. More than 90 firefighters fought the blaze, extinguishing the flames in about 30 minutes, Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said. A preliminary investigation shows that the fire likely started with a candle, which could have been knocked over by a person or the wind, Markota said. ``This time of year, we have a lot of candle fires,'' Markota said. The building sustained more than $100,000 in damage, but officials are considering the damage minor because the building was slated for demolition Demolition is the opposite of construction: the tearing-down of buildings and other structures. It contrasts with deconstruction, which is the taking down of a building while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use. anyway, Markota said. Josh Kleinbaum, (818) 713-3669 josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. firefighters battle a fire Thursday in a vacant building in Van Nuys. A disabled homeless man was killed in the early morning blaze. Gene Blevins/Staff Photographer |
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