Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Man Who Died In Sand Fire Was Trying To Rescue His Dogs, Say Neighbors
Firefighters battle the Sand Fire in Placerita Canyon on July 24. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
()
The massive Sand Fire has been raging for five days and has scorched 37,000 acres. The damage is immeasurable, not in just in terms of the grief it has caused for families who have lost their homes, but also for the one life it had taken over the weekend.
The body of Robert Bresnick, 67, was discovered around 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, reports the L.A. Times. Firefighters found his body inside a burned car that was parked in a driveway at a home on Iron Canyon Road. Bresnick, thus far, is the only casualty reported from the Sand Fire.
John Kim, a neighbor of Bresnick's, told CBS 2 that Bresnick lived on the property with a woman and that, with the fires approaching, he'd gone back into the home to rescue his dogs. He emerged from the house and took shelter in his car. He was found dead twenty minutes later. Before the incident, Bresnick had been "uncooperative" with evacuation orders, said a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
Bresnick's girlfriend refused to speak with the CBS 2 news crew because she was "too distraught." Morgan Franklin, who lives across the street from Bresnick's property, said that Bresnick and his girlfriend owned three dogs together. "Her house is gone, her boyfriend is gone," Franklin told the Times. "It's crazy."
Support for LAist comes from
The fire has shown some signs of abatement. The Times reports that, as of 11:05 a.m. Tuesday, the fire is 25% contained. On Monday night, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's station said that most of the evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes. There were exceptions, however, for residents living on sections of Placerita Canyon Road, Little Tujunga Canyon Road, Agua Dulce Canyon Road, and Soledad Canyon Road. Mandatory evacuations had been issued for approximately 20,000 residents. According to KTLA, 18 homes were destroyed in the blaze.
L.A. Times photographer Irfan Khan took some images of those destroyed properties:
More than 37K acres burned in @scvalley mountains. @CAL_FIRE @CALFIRE_PIO @latimes #wildfire https://t.co/aLk3BDPTTW pic.twitter.com/aDNl3Q8XZB
— Irfan Khan عرفان (@latfoto) July 26, 2016
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued another smoke advisory on Tuesday, saying that the smoke is expected to move north and northeast of the original site of the blaze. Smoke advisories had also been issued on Saturday and Monday. Even regions as far as Clark County in Nevada (about 250 miles from Los Angeles) have issued their own air quality advisories pertaining to the Sand Fire.
LAist reached out to the L.A. County Homicide Bureau regarding Bresnick, but investigators were unavailable for comment at the moment.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist