La Brea fires cause $1M damage

TWO unrelated fires in La Brea, both occurring during the early morning hours yesterday, gutted two businesses and a dwelling house, leaving two persons homeless, 14 without jobs and more than a million dollars in combined losses. Joseph Pascall, chairman of the La Brea Credit Union, which was completely destroyed, told Newsday he strongly suspected arson. Pascall said a fire started around 1.30 am at a restaurant and bar called Chung Ku Shop, which is adjacent to the credit union. The fire quickly destroyed the building housing the restaurant, and strong winds caused the fire to spread to the credit union building.

A despondent Pascall said he did not believe the fire was caused by an electrical fault, but was leaving all investigations to the police, firemen and officials from TTEC. Police sources yesterday said they had no official cause for the blaze, but were not ruling out arson. Pascall said that while the fire left him very sad and depressed, he was grateful to the Almighty that there were no casualties. “I live just about four houses away from the credit union building and around 2.10 am I received a phone call from a neighbour informing me that the building was on fire. By the time I looked out the window, it was already completely destroyed,” Pascall said.

He said no money was kept in the building, which employed six persons. Police sources said the fire started around 1 am in the restaurant in Majuba Village, owned by Conrad Jeffrey. He also lived in the building, but was not home at the time. The restaurant and bar employed eight persons. Meanwhile, while firemen were at the scene of the first fire, another blaze was destroying a house owned by Augustine Hamilton, valued at $60,000, two miles away. Fire officials told Newsday that around 4 am, they received a report of that fire at Sobo Village, but by the time they arrived, the blaze had destroyed Hamilton’s house. Hamilton is reported to be on vacation in the United States and in his absence, his two brothers were staying at the house. Both occupants were reportedly not at home at the time of the blaze. Investigations are continuing into both fires.