Nearly a dozen tiny homes on the VA West Los Angeles campus have been destroyed in a fire.
A fire broke out just after midnight on Aug. 9 at the VA West Los Angeles campus, quickly spreading to engulf 11 of the 140 tiny homes built for homeless Los Angeles veterans, the LA Times first reported.
No one was injured in the fire but the LA Fire Department estimated $160,000 in property damages, including $50,000 in residential property. At least 20 veterans were temporarily displaced by the fire; however, as of Friday morning, all 20 have been relocated to new homes on the campus.
A defective lithium battery is suspected of being the cause of the fire but an investigation is ongoing. None of the tiny homes were equipped with a sprinkler system or fire suppression system of any kind.
Nearly all 140 homes were constructed earlier this year with the help of veterans service organization AMVETS, donations from former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the VA, and Los Angeles County. Many of the campus’ residents formerly lived on “Veterans Row”, the now defunct homeless encampment that had existed outside the West Los Angeles campus for years.
It remains to be seen how the fire will impact the VA’s plans to build 1,200 tiny homes on its West Los Angeles campus. The plans have already faced staffing shortages and have failed to meet certain milestones by projected dates.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
