Fire Destroys 4 Homes in View Park

Four homes in the View Park section of Southwest Los Angeles were destroyed Thursday night in a fire pushed by high winds and “combustible roofs,” fire officials said.

The blaze, about a mile east of where a disastrous fire destroyed 48 homes three years ago in the Baldwin Hills, was visible from as far away as the Hollywood Hills.

Residents said the fire erupted in an attic in the 4000 block of Kenway Drive, destroying that home and three others.

No injuries were reported. Homes in the neighborhood are valued in excess of $200,000, residents said. Many complained that firefighters responded slowly to the blaze.

Jalthus Hayes, whose home was destroyed, said someone knocked on his door at about 9 p.m. and told him of the fire.

Hayes said he called the county Fire Department and was told, “Were right on top of it.” But he estimated firefighters took another 15 to 20 minutes to respond.

Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Bullock, 67, was celebrating his birthday with his family when he learned his home was ablaze.

“What a birthday present,” he said.

Bullock said firefighters “were lingering 10 to 15 minutes” before they began fighting the blaze.

Residents said there appeared to be a problem with water pressure and only one hydrant on the block seemed to be working.

Fire officials said “combustible roofing,” along with northwest winds gusting up to 50 m.p.h., contributed to the fire’s spread.

Fire officials did not immediately respond to the residents’ allegations of a slow response time, but acknowledged that water pressure had been reduced to a “marginal supply” because a number of homes were burning simultaneously.

Times staff writers Edward J. Boyer, Adrianne Goodman and Pamela Moreland contributed to this article.