WELCOME HOME, Central L.A.
Anniversary Column One Year After
The Mulberry Lane Fire
Column by Karl Kolchak
So, it has been one year since an event that seemed to change the sands of time themselves. The fire that lit up one small community also lit a torch, not to guide anyone safely through the jungle, but to burn one poor man’s life into ruin. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the fire at Mulberry Lane in Central L.A. It was an event that those who did not see it would struggle to believe. The heat, the light, and the force of it were so severe that firefighters did not attempt the impossible task of putting it out directly. Instead, they soaked the surrounding homes with water, trying to contain the fire before the whole street went up in flames. I was later shown, my readers, that the proper wood had not been used in that home. Cheap wood, the kind usually reserved for pallets and similar work, had been used instead. That type of wood burns fast and hot. An entire house built with it burned hotter still. Hot enough, I hate to say, to turn the two people left inside into ash, as if they had been cremated in their own beds. This would become known as the worst home fire in Central L.A. history. I have also learned from a strong source that part of the story was never included in the original article. The fire reportedly began because an electrician, hired by the elderly owners at a savings, did not use the approved in-wall wiring system. Instead, he used a selection of smaller wires, not even protected by conduit, running to the clothes dryer. That night, during a large load of what appeared to be family towels, the wiring overheated and set the inside wall on fire through direct contact with the improper wood already mentioned. These are the kinds of facts you would expect to find only in the latest horror novel. Yet this is not fiction. This is one man’s life. Out of respect for his pain, I will not print his name. For nearly a year, he has lived inside a nightmare of grief and fear, wondering whether the flames that took his whole family might someday come for him as well. This entire event should outrage everyone who builds in L.A. The permit process here is second only to being thrown into hot oil while your contractors watch. It takes months to approve what most cities handle in days, and even now, that burned home still stands as a pillar to the system’s failure to protect this man. When I attempted to obtain the names of those who signed off on the permits for these insane building techniques, those names were protected by the very system that helped make this disaster possible. As of this writing, there have been no firings, no demotions, and no clear accountability for the permit approvals that allowed this home to exist in such a condition. I will add, fairly, that I have no proof of corruption inside the building and zoning department. I can only say that when employees involved in this kind of process are parking vehicles worth over $100,000 in the employee lot, a reporter is allowed to raise an eyebrow. Maybe two, if the smoke has cleared enough to see straight. Anyone building a home right now should check the materials being installed. Hire your own inspector, preferably one whose hand is not already open. Verify the wiring. Verify the wood. Verify everything. No family should become a toasty treat in the middle of the night while the rest of us are left standing around the ashes, wondering who brought marshmallows. I know this story is outrageous in every way. But sometimes, people only see what crosses the line. Sometimes, they only read what sounds impossible. If that is what it takes to force change before a fire large enough comes along to take the whole Central L.A. building department with it, then so be it. Thank you for your time, my readers of the facts of your L.A.
Filed from Los Angeles: Karl Kolchak
The After:
After the article was released, I was amazed. I would like to add with regret that just a day before this article was printed, as you see it now, the father in this article was found dead in his bed from cardiac arrest, according to the coroner's office report. I did have a few long conversations with this man, and he was not mean or abrasive in any way, and truly wanted his story told to help save others. As far as the building department, I have been informed that the lawyers are en route for the filings to remove me from my position for maybe telling too many truths that they, of course, will deny completely. The home has not been removed after a year as a reminder of failures in the systems we all have to live under. I will say one of those failures is not in any way the fire department; they are very hard-working people and deserve all of our respect, more than can ever even be given.