LA Public Library Confirms Arrest Following Fire Near Brentwood Branch Library
On Tuesday, January 15, a fire was discovered in the dumpster behind the Donald Bruce Kaufman Library around 11:00 a.m. Hailey Sniderman, a Brentwood resident, saw the flames and sprang into action. While Sniderman phoned 911, three maintenance workers from her apartment building went to the dumpster and fought the flames with fire extinguishers.
This was great work on the part of Sniderman and the maintenance team because the fire could have easily spread and done terrible damage to the neighborhood
Sniderman said that the fire was very tough to put out and required more than one extinguisher to do the job. 911 sent her call to the Los Angeles Fire Department and firefighters arrived about half an hour later. She took the photos which were posted to social media.
According to Sniderman, the flames were mostly out and LAFD may have only had to do some mopping up to make sure that the fire would not ignite again and confirm that the situation was safe and under control.
An emailed statement from Brenda J. Breaux, Principal Public Relations Representative of the Los Angeles Public Library said, “An arrest was made in connection with the dumpster fire. The Brentwood Branch Library, which was closed at the time for safety due to nearby fires, was not involved beyond ownership of the dumpster.”
Witnesses believed that the suspect, a man in dark-colored clothing pictured in the photos, may have been unhoused, but we have not been able to substantiate this as a fact at this time.
We have contacted both the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department, but have not received any further information at this time. Given the situation with the Palisades and Eaton Fires, this is not surprising because of the city’s emergency response, but we will update this story if we can confirm any other details.
