Wednesday morning incident still under investigation
By Sam Catanzaro
A fundraiser is being held to support a Venice woman whose dog was killed after her home went up in flames this week.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the incident was reported at 3:37 a.m. at 129 E Clubhouse Avenue in a two-story bungalow on a raised foundation. 26 firefighters extinguished the fire in 18 minutes, the LAFD stated. Monetary loss to the 108 year-old home is still being tabulated.
Property records on Zillow show that the house is a 2 bed, 2 bath, 1,200 square foot duplex home built in 1913 with an estimated value of $2,845,665.
No human injuries were reported, however, LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey says that a family dog did pass away.
In the wake of this tragedy, a fundraiser has been launched to help the dog’s owner Courtney, a doctor who was working when the fire broke out.
“We won’t be able to replace the life of our beloved four legged friend Togo, but we can help with the hard times this tragic event brings to our friend Courtney,” reads the GoFundMe, which has raised nearly $12,000 as of Thursday evening. “All funds raised will be given to Courtney to cover costs for her losses and support the animal rescue shelter where she got Togo just last year.”
Neighbors say there has been an increase in homelessness in the area in recent months and ABC 7 reported that the owner had several confrontations with unhoused individuals recently. LAFD spokesperson Humphrey said that arson investigators have been assigned to the incident and that as of Thursday there is no evidence that indicates that a homeless individual was involved.
“The cause of the fire remains under active investigation, with members of the LAFD Arson / Counter-Terrorism Section continuing to review physical evidence, as well as security and bystander video from adjacent buildings and at the scene, in order to make a precise cause determination. At this early stage of the investigation, there is no evidence that indicates the involvement of a person experiencing homelessness,” Humphrey said in a statement.
