Furnace Fire Blazes The Eastsider's Echo Park Duplex

A Saturday night fire at Echo Park Boulevard and Morton Avenue caused serious damaged to a duplex owned by The Eastsider's publisher and author, Jesús Sanchez, reports his blog.

The fire started in the upper unit near the floor furnace shortly before midnight and the property suffered heavy fire, smoke and water damage. No one was in the unit at the time of the blaze -- the other unit was safely evacuated.

According to The Eastsider, Morton Avenue was blocked for more than an hour while the fire department contained and cleaned up the damage. According to fire personnel on the scene, it was the second furnace fire of the night in Echo Park -- they had just returned from, "extinguishing a residential blaze involving a wall heater when they detected smoke near Echo Park and Morton," recounts a firefighter.