LOS ANGELES, CA -- Firefighters combing through the debris Friday of a fire-ravaged three-story Mount Washington home used cadaver dogs in an attempt to find the remains of an 84-year-old resident who is believed to have died in the blaze.
Cadaver dogs lowered into the debris showed interest in certain areas, but careful follow-up searches did not turn up any human remains, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
"We believe his remains are inside," Humphrey said.
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Some witnesses said the man, possibly the owner of the home, may have gone back inside the burning home in hopes of rescuing several puppies and a cat that were inside.
"I don't understand how he didn't make it," one resident told Channel 4. "I can't explain it. He (texted) one of the residents, like, `Your room's on fire' or something. It's weird to me. It doesn't make sense. I keep coming, hoping he got out."
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The collapsed home remains extremely dangerous and continues to smolder, Humphrey said.
"Every time we move a piece of debris, something else shifts," Humphrey said.
David Ortiz of the Los Angeles Fire Department told NBC4 the home was still unstable and dangerous for search crews or cadaver dogs.
Crews will wait until morning to bring in heavy equipment and systematically remove and search through the debris, Humphrey said.
The 9,111-square-foot hillside home in the 4000 block of Sea View Avenue erupted in flames around 8:35 p.m. Thursday. The flames effectively gutted the home, with interior floors collapsing and leaving the structure a smoldering shell of a building.
It took firefighters about three hours to extinguish the flames, but the building continued to smolder. Some neighboring homes also suffered damage from the fire and heat.
A 74-year-old woman was treated for smoke inhalation, but was in fair condition, fire officials said.
Some neighbors told reporters at the scene they have complained in the past about the number of people living in the home, with one neighbor telling ABC7: "There was always some sort of conflict going on between the tenants, physical fights, in some cases some pretty brutal fights."
Ortiz told NBC4: "At any one time, there's 10 to 15 people living in this home. From my understanding there were 10 people last night. Four of them were aided out by the fire department."
The cause of the fire was under investigation. A damage estimate was not immediately available.
