A tragic blaze engulfed a building in South Los Angeles in the early hours of Saturday, with officials indicating that the seemingly deserted structure might have been hosting an unauthorized “cannabis operation.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that their units were dispatched to the scene at 832 East Manchester Avenue in the Green Meadows area of South L.A. at around 1:15 a.m., initially to a reported vehicle fire that escalated to a structure fire.
Upon arrival, firefighters were met with intense flames engulfing the building, leading to an early collapse of the roof, as confirmed by LAFD. The presence of a cannabis cultivation operation within the ostensibly vacant property complicated firefighting efforts.
“It’s unclear what permits, if any, were held for the operation, as we observed no exterior signs indicating a cannabis business, which should have been visible,” LAFD Captain Adam Van Gerpen stated. He noted the use of various potentially explosive chemicals in cannabis cultivation that could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
After the blaze was subdued by over 110 firefighters in slightly more than an hour, a man was discovered deceased inside, as confirmed by police officials.
The LAFD indicated that thorough searches were ongoing to ensure no additional victims were inside the building, which was revealed to contain a cannabis operation.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The area around Manchester and McKinley Avenues is expected to stay closed for the duration of the investigative work.
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