Los Angeles, Ca
Fire burns through apartment building in Koreatown, leaving families displaced
Families are left without a home after a massive fire burned through an apartment building in L.A.’s Koreatown.
The fire occurred on Sept. 26 at a building on the 750 block of South Normandie Avenue in the early morning hours.
When firefighters arrived, smoke was billowing from the roof and the flames destroyed multiple apartment units, leaving families displaced and without a place to sleep.
“There are six units total that have suffered severe damage,” said Celeste Kessler with the Los Angeles Tenants Union. “What really blows my mind is that the L.A. Housing Department has declared this a habitable unit.”
Inside Maria Vargas’ apartment, the fire burned through her kitchen, bathroom, personal belongings and several walls, leaving the unit unsafe and uninhabitable. The ceiling was burned through where water can be seen leaking and a clear view into her neighbor’s apartment is visible.
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A fire burned through an apartment building in Koreatown in Los Angeles on September 26, 2024. (Citizen) -
Maria Vargas’ apartment was destroyed by the fire that burned through her kitchen, bathroom, surrounding walls and personal belongings. (KTLA) -
The fire left families displaced after burning through several apartment units and leaving them uninhabitable. (KTLA) -
The fire left families displaced after burning through several apartment units and leaving them uninhabitable. (KTLA) -
The fire left families displaced after burning through several apartment units and leaving them uninhabitable. (KTLA) -
The fire destroyed a shared wall that left a clear view into a neighbor’s apartment. (KTLA) -
The building was yellow-tagged by officials but tenants say the affected apartment units are dangerous and uninhabitable. (KTLA) -
The fire left families displaced after burning through several apartment units and leaving them uninhabitable. (KTLA) -
A fire burned through an apartment building in Koreatown in Los Angeles on September 26, 2024. (Citizen)
Vargas said she’s frustrated over the lack of ability to do basic things like cook or bathe in her home while also worrying about taking care of her three children.
“I’m not doing very well,” Vargas told KTLA’s John Fenoglio through a Spanish translator. “I’m very worried. We need help to leave this apartment. We can’t stay here.”
Many of the displaced residents don’t have anywhere else to go.
“We spent the night in our car,” said Margarita Linares, a mother of two children whose apartment was also destroyed.
Frustrated tenants told KTLA they’ve tried contacting the building’s manager but he reportedly wouldn’t answer their questions or even speak with them until the following Monday.
“TDI Properties, the owner of this building, has been pretty negligent, I would say, in terms of responding to this fire,” Kessler said. “They have not been speaking with tenants. Tenants went to their office and they refused to open the door so the tenants are grasping at straws to find a place to go where they can live with their children and TDI is just ignoring them.”
Displaced residents are left scrambling and had asked for assistance with temporary housing but said they’ve been completely ignored.
“I can’t believe that this is the reaction I’m getting,” Linares said. “I always pay my rent on time and now that I need something from them, I can’t believe this is the reaction.”
“Council District 10 was on the scene, but so far they have not offered any recourse,” Kessler said. “They talked about hotel vouchers for tenants but at the end of the day, they told us they were out of them. So they truly haven’t been much help, either.”
“There should not be a circumstance where individuals are displaced due to a fire and they are unable to find housing in the short term,” an attorney, Ryan Kerns, explained of the situation. “If the landlord’s negligence was the cause of the fire, then the landlord is responsible for relocating costs and finding replacement apartments. If the landlord can find replacement apartments in the same unit that are of the same value as the apartments the tenants were already having, that can potentially constitute the replacement value of that property.”
On Saturday night, a spokesperson from Council District 10 told KTLA they are working on finding interim housing for the displaced tenants.
A GoFundMe page organized by the Los Angeles Tenants Union to help the affected tenants can be found here.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
KTLA has reached out to TDI Properties for a statement but has not heard back.
Events and protests were held in downtown Los Angeles Saturday on the one-year anniversary of one of the largest immigration enforcement actions in California.
One June 6, 2025, federal agents stormed the L.A. Fashion District, arresting and detaining dozens of workers.
The enforcement action served as a catalyst, igniting a wave of subsequent raids across Southern California. In response, city leaders affirmed their “unwavering commitment to the immigrant communities” in Los Angeles, as events were held throughout the city to remember those who were deported and those whose immigration cases remain unresolved.
Protesters advocating for immigrant communities gathered outside a federal detention center in downtown Saturday, waving flags and signs. One woman was arrested during a clash with police.
The initial raid in the L.A. Garment District swept up workers, including the father of one woman who described the experience as “one of the most traumatic experiences” of their lives. This operation was among the first deportation actions that resulted in families being separated and triggered days of civil unrest.
At a commemoration event, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and the Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of L.A. stood together, vowing to protect immigrant communities living in fear.
“We all felt attacked, and I think what’s so critical today, is to know and remember and acknowledge that this is still going on every day,” Bass said.
While the Department of Homeland Security maintains that its enforcement operations target criminals, families of those detained argue that immigration enforcement terrorizes hardworking people. These families contend that many immigrants pay taxes and contribute to society, even if they are not U.S. citizens.
Immigration attorneys report that thousands of individuals are still trying to locate their loved ones. They also highlighted that hundreds of people swept up in immigration raids last year remain detained in facilities, facing medical neglect, inhumane conditions and the denial of basic due process protections.
Watch the full report from KTLA’s Sara Welch in the video at the top of this story.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTLA. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTLA staff before being published.
Los Angeles, Ca
Pasadena motorist knocked unconscious in unprovoked assault after other driver flashes high beams at him
A motorist was rendered unconscious after what authorities are calling an unprovoked attack that occurred after another driver flashed their high beams at him, authorities say.
According to the Pasadena Police Department, the victim, a 63-year-old man, was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue near Washington Boulevard when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction flashed him around 1 a.m. Saturday.
“The victim reported that he was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue from Washington Boulevard when he observed a vehicle traveling southbound flashing its high beams at him,” a Pasadena Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. “The victim stated he stopped his vehicle and exited. He was then assaulted by an unknown suspect. The assault was unprovoked.”
The attack left the man unconscious and with a three-inch deep laceration to his head, police added. Upon regaining consciousness, the man transported himself to Huntington Hospital, and it was around 1:20 a.m. when police responded there to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon and began their investigation.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the victim told police that, due to his injuries, he was not able to provide a description of a suspect, vehicle or the weapon used, nor was he able to tell police the exact location where the assault occurred, although it was confirmed to be somewhere near Raymond Avenue and Washington Boulevard. La Pintoresca Park is located near that intersection.
No further details were immediately available.
Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact the Pasadena Police Department right away.
Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this report.
A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
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