The Region - News from July 16, 1985

Fire swept a condemned house near MacArthur Park, killing two transients and injuring three others who were living inside, authorities said. Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said the blaze in the 500 block of Parkview Street was of suspicious origin. Neither of the two men who were killed carried identification, a coroner’s spokesman said. Area residents said the house was home for about a dozen transients, most of them from El Salvador and Cuba. Caridad Almenteros, 25, and Fernando Casillas, 19, suffered first-degree burns and smoke inhalation and were both in serious condition at County-USC Medical Center, according to hospital officials. Also injured was Augustin Sandoval, 20, who apparently broke his ankle when he jumped out of a second-story window to escape the flames.