Fire Destroys Sunset Park Home

By Lookout Staff

A plumber's torch touched off a raging fire in a Sunset Park home Saturday morning destroying the structure, which was undergoing extensive remodeling, fire department officials said.

The blaze began in the single-family home at 1726 Hill St. at approximately 9:51 a.m. when a plumber was melding two pipes together with a torch, said Santa Monica Fire Department Chief Mike Curtis.

Photos by Nick Steers

"When I drove down the alley the house was completely engulfed in flames," Curtis said. "It was really gutted."

No one was injured in the fire, which was fought by both the Santa Monica and Los Angeles Fire departments.

The house's occupants, whose names were not released by the Fire Department, were not at home when the fire started. The contractor overseeing the project was on the scene

An estimate of the damage caused by the fire has not yet been released, and the fire department's arson investigator is currently investigating the blaze.