Three people were killed and two others hospitalized following a house fire in South Los Angeles that ignited Monday evening and burnt through the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Flames erupted inside the home in South L.A.’s Florence neighborhood at the intersection of Compton Avenue and Firestone Boulevard shortly before midnight on Monday. A neighbor reportedly battled the blaze with a garden hose before first responders arrived.
Walterine Slack, said to be in her 80s, resided at the home with her adult children and granddaughter. The family reportedly owned the home for several decades.
Firefighters pulled Walterine, along with her son Timothy, daughter Deborah Johnson, and granddaughter Anastasia Stack from the burning home and treated their injuries before transporting them to an area hospital. The son and daughter remain in critical condition and on ventilators, according to family members.
Another son, Larry, reportedly died in the fire. Walterine and Timothy died late Tuesday from their injuries.
Larry Slack was formerly a pastor at Grace Baptist Church located in Silver Triangle. Complications from diabetes forced doctors to amputate. Larry had just been discharged from the hospital one day prior, a neighbor said.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which is spearheading the investigation, has not determined how the fire started. Investigators ask anyone with information to contact the department’s South L.A. non-emergency line at (323) 820-6700.
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