1 dead, another injured in Del Rey house fire. Neighbors say property is a problem

One person died and another was hospitalized after a fire broke out at a red-tagged home in Del Rey Tuesday. 

Firefighters responded to the single-story vacant home in the 4900 block of South Sycamore Drive at 6:14 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews extinguished the fire in less than an hour.

Firefighters are trying to determine if the deceased person died before the fire broke or died as a result of the fire. Officials believe the deceased person is a woman, but the body was badly burned. 

The second victim - a woman in her 50s - was taken to the hospital for treatment. The woman's condition is unknown.

Firefighters tell FOX 11 that they have responded to small fires on the property before. The house is part of a large property where several homes appear to be abandoned. Neighbors say they have been calling the city and police for a while about squatters living in them. 

The house and some other structures in the area had been red-tagged by the city's Department of Building and Safety, according to City Councilwoman Traci Park.

Park visited the site and confirmed that this is a problem area and promises to fix it quickly. 

A big part of the problem is at the owner of the properties, who is an elderly man, does not live here. Neighbor say he does not respond to their calls, and the city says he has not responded to requests to secure the properties. At the same time, all around the neighborhood, there are RVs and people living inside; which are also a problem, say neighbors, who explained they have been dealing with this since the pandemic. They say the issue has only gotten worse over the past few months.