A fast-moving fire swept through a Mid-City hotel early Friday morning, claiming one life and injuring seven others.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 2:04 AM on February 7, 2020, to 8686 West Venice Boulevard in Mid-City Los Angeles, where firefighters arrived quickly to find fire raging from both floors of a two-story hotel.

One hundred five firefighters under the command of Assistant Chief Kepner confined the fire to the structure of origin, extinguishing the flames in just 39 minutes. Firefighters assisted residents with a building-wide evacuation. At least thirty residents were staying on the premises and were displaced due to the fire.

Eight patients resulted from the blaze. Sadly, one patient succumbed to their injuries on scene, while five were transported to local hospitals (including one firefighter), one declined transport, and one was transported by private auto. A positive identification of the deceased, as well as the cause, time and manner of his death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. 

Volunteers from the American Red Cross assisted at least 30 displaced hotel clients, while Inspectors from the City's Department of Building & Safety assessed the structure for damage and structural integrity.  

Fire loss to the Venice Hotel is still being tabulated. The cause of this greater alarm fire has been determined to be accidental due to a space heater being used in close proximity to combustible materials. This is a sobering reminder that space heaters need space. The recommended space around a heater is three feet from any paper, clothing, blankets, curtains, walls, or anything else that could catch fire.

Dispatched LAFD Units:  E58  RA58  RA858  E43  E68  T94  E294  E292  T92  BC18  BC11  E94  E261  E61  T61  E226  T26  E62  E263  T63  CM722  EM9  BC9  T27  E227  E27  UR27  RA27  HR3  UR88  BC5  CM22  RA43  RA68  EM11  EM1  EA1  AR2  RA94  RA92  PI4  CM32  AR1  AR33  PI2  AR10  RA58  AR9  AR30