Firefighters extinguished the house fire that broke Thursday morning. /Photo by Freddy Monares
Firefighters extinguished the house fire that broke Thursday morning. /Photo by Freddy Monares
Firefighters extinguished the house fire that broke Thursday morning. /Photo by Freddy Monares

The elderly victims whose house went up in flames last Thursday in Boyle Heights have died.Husband and wife Jesus and Apolonia Horta were rescued from their burning home at the 3100 block of Malabar Street and taken to nearby hospitals in grave condition.

Jesus, 94, died at White Memorial Medical Center on Saturday and Apolonia, 75, died at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center on Sunday.

According to a relative, both victims suffered serious smoke inhalation but the cause of death has yet to be determined by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

The home had no working smoke alarms and non-compliant security bars installed, according to Los Angeles Fire Department.

No funeral arrangements had been made at the time of the interview.

Freddy Monares contributed to this report.

My background: I was born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, where I got my start in journalism by launching a community blog. Most recently, I worked at the Los Angeles Times and have spent most of my career covering local news in LA, with a focus on community-centered stories, Latino communities and mentoring emerging writers.

What I do: I lead coverage of Boyle Heights and East LA across all platforms to inform, connect and uplift our community. I spend my days listening, planning, editing and coordinating to make sure our stories reflect the community fairly, while supporting and mentoring my team of reporters and freelancers so they can grow along the way.

Why LA?: It’s home. It’s the sounds of Spanglish and other languages, the smell of tacos and kimchi, the way street art tells stories and how, even though I hate traffic, I love how the freeways can take me to the beach or the mountains on a whim.

The best way to contact me: My email is jessica.perez@boyleheightsbeat.org.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *