The Region : $20-Million Suit Filed After Hotel Fire

Residents of an East Los Angeles hotel destroyed in a July fire filed a $20-million lawsuit against the hotel owners, claiming that unsafe conditions at the Brooklyn Hotel made it difficult to escape the blaze. Barred windows, non-functioning fire alarms, the absence of fire extinguishers and a vicious guard dog downstairs all contributed to injuries suffered by many of the 18 residents of the dilapidated two-story hotel, the suit alleges. Hotel owners Yogush Kumar Patel, Ratilal H. Patel, Rahul H. Patel and Rahul Kumar R. Patel were absentee landlords who frequently failed to make needed repairs, said attorney Donald H. Cohen, representing the residents. The official cause of the blaze has not been determined, but arson is suspected, Cohen said.