As Southern Californians enjoyed the holidays, the Red Cross was busy assisting families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by fire and other emergencies. During December, the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles provided 136 people with immediate assistance, including food and shelter.

The following are just some of the incidents the Red Cross responded to during the month of December:

On Dec. 12, an explosion rocked a three-story Canoga Park apartment complex resulting in a fire that left some tenants displaced and others homeless. A shelter was temporarily opened at Canoga Park High School for the first night. The landlord found housing for the residents of the building within the complex and at other locations. A gas leak is suspected as the cause of the explosion.

Red Cross volunteers Faridian Fereydoun (left) and Chris Nevil respond to a home fire in December.

On Dec. 14, an armed gunman barricaded himself in a Studio City home causing street closures and neighborhood evacuations. The Red Cross opened a shelter at Weddington Park in Canoga Park to provide temporary accommodations for neighborhood residents unable to return home during the six-hour stand-off.

A single-family home in the Lakeview Terrace area was damaged during a fire on Christmas Eve. The Red Cross provided a family of five with comfort and financial assistance.

During 2009, the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles provided financial and other disaster assistance to 1,384 people displaced from their homes. Click here to learn more about Red Cross and services and how to become a Red Cross volunteer.

Photos by Marc Meredith

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