Twenty-one people were left shivering in the street in Pacoima when a predawn fire ripped through their very-small house today.
The fire, at 13070 Kelowna St., was called in at 5:03 a.m. It took 44 firefighters 37 minutes to put the flames that engulfed the 1,000-square-foot home, said spokesman Erik Scott of the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
When the firefighters got the fire out, “they looked around and saw 21 people out standing in the cold, shivering,” Scott told ABC7. The temperature at nearby Burbank was 39 degrees.
Nine adults and 12 children, ranging from 1 to 16 years old, were taken to a nearby fire station, along with their small dog. Donuts were brought in, and cartoons put on the firehouse TV set.
“Right now, we’re going to keep the family warm.” Scott told the TV station. “We’re going to figure out what forms of temporary housing we can provide, along with our friends at the American Red Cross.”
No one was injured, despite the fact that there were no functional smoke alarms at the residence, he said. The cause was under investigation.
