Los Angeles (AFP) – Amy, daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Amy was among those who survived a Hollywood recording studio fire that killed a 26-year-old music producer, Sharon Osbourne and other space workers said.
Producer Amy Osbourne also survived the fire that started late Thursday afternoon in the two-story commercial building that houses several studios and music-making venues. It took 78 firefighters more than 50 minutes to put out the flames, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Eric Scott said in a statement.
Scott said two people reported respiratory symptoms related to exposure to smoke and were evaluated at the scene, but both refused to be taken to hospital.
“Unfortunately, a person was found dead inside, as firefighters searched the building,” Scott said, adding that no firefighters were injured, and the cause of the fire was still being investigated.
Authorities have not released the identity of the dead man, but friends and others who worked on the premises, including musician and record company owner Jamal Rajad Davis, identified him as 26-year-old Nathan Avery Edwards, who recorded, produced and mixed music under the name Avery Drift.
One of the survivors was the eldest daughter of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne said in an Instagram post.
Sharon Osbourne, without identifying the producer, said Amy Osbourne, 38, and the producer she was working with were “the lucky two who managed to survive.”
“Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the person who lost their life in this senseless fire,” Osborne said.
Amy Osbourne is a singer who releases electronic pop music under the name ARO, her initials. She did not participate in the Osborne family’s reality show as did her younger siblings Kelly and Jack Osborne.
Davis, whose stage name is Jamal Rajad, lives and works in his space in the building with his wife and four cats. He thought his wife was burning incense when he started seeing and smelling smoke.
He said he and others went out into the hallway and it turned out that smoke and intense heat were rising from a unit a few doors away. The man from that space had locked himself and started trying to break the door while Davis and the others shouted for him to stop.
He opened it up and was, “Boom! Big old flames!” Davis told The Associated Press in an interview.
At that point, Davis started yelling at Osborne and others to get out as he ran back to his space.
“I picked up everything big, my 65-inch TV, my PlayStation interface in my studio, my internet box, I captured everything I saw there that I thought was important,” he said.
He threw things outside and tried to run back to get his cats, but it was too late.
“I was already suffocating,” he said. “So I took off my shirt, tied it around my face, and tried to get a little bit ahead. I went about five or six paces and couldn’t reach my kitten.”
said Jonathan Wellman, who rented a recording space in the building down the hall from Edwards Los Angeles Times He was “a talented young artist, producer, and engineer”.
Davis said several people were able to follow his voice for a safe exit.
He said, “I’m grateful for that, but I’m thankful that Avery died. He was with us downstairs. I didn’t realize. I only had a few seconds. I couldn’t even save my cats.”
Davis, Wellman, and others said they had neither heard of smoke detectors nor seen sprinklers go off.
It was not immediately clear if the building had any violations or quotes.
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