A house fire amid stiff winds brought more than 100 firefighters onto the narrow streets and steep slopes of Laurel Canyon Saturday morning. Firefighters said the three-story house at 8522 West Oak Court was heavily damaged, but the flames did not spread and the blaze was extinguished in a little over an hour with no injuries reported.
L.A. City Fire Battalion Chief Nick Ferrari said “it started on a balcony and caught a whole house on fire. The wind definitely added to its acceleration.”
The first firefighters arrived by 9:45 a.m. as neighbors watched flames rise 10 to 15 feet above the roofline, surrounded by trees bending in the wind. Though the house’s location on a steep slope at the end of a cul-de-sac posed a challenge, the L.A. Fire Department incident report said firefighters were able to knock down the fire in 73 minutes.
Neighbors said the house, a 960-square-foot, three-story residence built in 1961, has its own minor celebrity status in the area. To reach the structure, visitors had to climb a long set of stairs or ride a private tram up the slope. The home was owned by radio personality and John Lennon publicist Elliot Mintz in the 1970s and 1980s, then later by Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe (who swam for Australia in the early 2000s). It was featured in Dwell magazine when it was offered for sale in 2024.
“I was told, when I moved in 40 years ago, that John Lennon was there [often], during what was described as his dark years. My neighbor said John Lennon used to come out in the morning and pee off the balcony,” said architect Andew Ratzsch, 68, who lives a few doors down the street.
Wary of winds on Saturday morning, firefighters responded in force.
“We’ve probably got between 20 and 25 pieces of equipment here, counting L.A. County Fire,” L.A. City firefighter Jose Perez said.
Ferrari said firefighters were paying close attention to neighboring structures and vegetation on the slope, with a “structure defense group” remaining on site to monitor areas made vulnerable by the wind. The site would remain on “patrol status through the night and into the morning,” Ferrari said. The Fire Department incident report said that ”crews will be on scene for an extended duration [conducting] overhaul on any hotspots and monitoring the area.”
In January 2025, the Palisades fire was caused by a small arson fire that was handled by firefighters Jan. 1 but rekindled during severe wind conditions six days later. The firestorm plowed through the Pacific Palisades and into Malibu, burning 23,400 acres and leveling more than 6,800 structures, including many homes. Twelve people died.
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