Fire, Another Fire, More Fires, Life on Hope Street in South Park

‍ ‍ Fire, smoke, ash, debris, bad air, closed streets, fire engines again, again, and again. Residents and business owners and workers around Hope Street between 12th and Pico have been forced to deal with major and minor fires since December 2024. It has become a weekly occurrence. Now residents and community members want action from LA City and are also willing to take action.

On July 27, residents living in the fire zone and from across South Park, along with SPNA (South Park Neighborhood Association), DLANC (Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council), and DTLA RA (DTLA Residents Association), gathered online to work on this issue. This occurred after 250 residents at Hope + Flower residential building, which abuts the fires, contacted Fox 11 LA and staged a protest airing their grievances about the vacant buildings on fire repeatedly, the constant break-ins, the trespassing,  and seeing no action to protect the people living in this area. While continuing to press the city to take action, those on the call have been working on their own action plan.

SPNA, SP BID (South Park Business Improvement District), DLANC, and DTLA RA have been working on this issue for months with little progress. They have taken photos and reported people coming, going, and remaining in the building. That continues. SPNA documented where the buildings were not secure, but no action has happened to date to secure the sites. The paper warehouse fire building still remains completely open with large amounts of partially burned paper waiting for someone to torch again.

  SPNA, SP BID, DLANC, and DTLA RA representatives have met with CD14 Ysabel Jurado’s staff and a representative from the mayor’s office.  Actions requested include: (1) introduce a declaration of public nuisance, (2) pursue abatement and barricading, (3) refer  matter to City Attorney for criminal filing.

The first major fire happened on December 26, 2024, and 19 months later we have had additional major fires, minor fires, and fires that rekindle. In the meantime, residents and workers have to keep doors and windows closed, continuously cleaning up ash and debris from balconies and sidewalks, and coping with asthma attacks and other health issues. Despite this, Hope + Flower residents continue to wonder if the next fire will require an evacuation from their homes.

The fires have other implications:

·      December 26, 2024 – three people were rescued by firefighters, more than 100 firefighters were on the scene.

·      January 7, 2025 – more than 100 firefighters were needed to contain the fire from adjacent buildings.

·      May 10, 2026 – 124 firefighters were on the scene, one firefighter sustained injuries and was transported to the hospital. This fire required firefighters to be on the scene for three days as the fire kept reigniting.

·      July 19, 2026 – another fire.

·      Many minor fires that firefighters resond to weekly that don’t make the news or social media!

What is lacking at Hope + Flower residential building, lacking for other residents and businesses and stakeholders on Hope Street and surrounding area, and lacking for all the groups working on this issue is a statement of hope that the problem will be solved quickly. What will it take to solve this problem? Residents and community leaders are saying leave no stone/possible solution unturned, considered, or acted upon. Fire destroys. It must be stopped before it destroys more than just the building.

By Debra Shrout