Brentwood

Man Who Died in Dramatic Brentwood High-Rise Fire Identified

The man was found in grave condition during the blaze, which left residents running for their lives to rooftop rescues.

A 19-year-old man who suffered grave injuries during the fire earlier this week at Brentwood's high-rise Barrington Plaza Apartments died at a hospital Friday night, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

He was identified by the Los Angeles Fire Department as Jeremy Bru, reported to be an exchange student from France.

During the dramatic battle against the fire, firefighters in rescue helicopters hoisted more than a dozen people to safety Wednesday from the rooftop of the West Los Angeles high-rise building, where thick smoke billowed from burning sixth-floor residences and at least one person scaled the side of the building to escape the flames.

The Los Angeles Fire Department evacuated residents on Wednesday morning after a fire broke out in a high-rise apartment building in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Firefighters initially received reports of people jumping from windows and balconies of the 25-story residential building in the 11000 block of Wilshire Boulevard in the Brentwood area. They later confirmed no one jumped from the building, but video from a witness showed at least one person scaling the side of the Barrington Plaza complex as thick smoke poured from nearby windows.

Firefighters convinced that person not to jump, then rescued him from the ledge.

In all, 11 people were injured, including a 3-month-old child. The man who was rescued from the ledge was in critical condition. Most of the other injuries involved smoke inhalation.

Questions have been raised about the safety of the high-rise, the site of another 2013 fire. Residents then reported problems with the building's fire alarms.

The building was not equipped with fire sprinklers at the time of either blaze, as they were not required at the time of its early 1960s construction.

The cause of Wednesday's fire remains under investigation.

Contact Us