A clean-up operation had been pre-scheduled on April 7, before a fire erupted on April 6 in an alley near Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard. (photo by Edwin Folven)

City crews removed debris from an alley next to the former Fairfax Theatre on April 7 after a fire erupted the day before in a homeless encampment and threatened to spread to the theater building, authorities said.

The fire was reported at approximately 4:50 p.m. on April 6 in the alley, which runs between Beverly Boulevard and Oakwood Avenue, just west of the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard. The Los Angeles Fire Department extinguished the blaze in approximately 25 minutes, and prevented the flames from damaging the vacant theater building and structures on the other side of the alley. Portions of the theater building’s exterior wall were blackened, but the flames were contained to the contents of the encampment.

No injuries were reported. LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey said the exact cause remains under investigation and he had no further information.

The fire damaged fiber optic cables that run along poles located in the alley, causing an interruption of services for Charter Communications/Spectrum customers that lasted until the early morning hours of April 8. The company said the outage affected neighborhoods in the Fairfax District and surrounding portions of Los Angeles, but did not divulge how many customers were affected. Service was interrupted as far south as neighborhoods in Beverly Hills near Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards.

“Our engineers worked to repair the lines as quickly as possible, and we appreciate our customers’ patience while we restored services,” read a statement from Charter Communications.

The fire also damaged a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power pole, which was replaced, LADWP spokeswoman Crystal Williams said.

Multiple LAPD officers were at the scene on April 7 as crews removed debris from the alley. They said it was a pre-scheduled clean-up operation – unrelated to the fire on April 6 – that was planned weeks ago by the city. Efforts had been made to find housing for people living in the encampment and notices had been posted about the clean-up operation. Four or five people remained at the site, but were gone after the fire, the officers said.

Senior Lead Officer De’Antraye Dantzler, of the Wilshire Division, said people had been living in the alley for months. He said officers will continue to monitor the site. On April 13, no tents or evidence of individuals living in the alley were visible.

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, confirmed that the city had been assisting people living in the encampment.

“I am so relieved that this did not turn worse and that no one was hurt,” Koretz said. “We have had regular outreach at this location offering services, and [the] CARE team was actually already scheduled to be out there [on April 7] to clean the area.”