A man, who neighbors said was a Rothschild, died in his Hollywood Hills home that burned down on Wednesday.
KABC-TV reported, although authorities have not released the man’s name, neighbors said the victim was Will Rothschild of the elite banking family.
It is unclear if Rothschild had been dead before the fire, as the cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.
One neighbor said, she saw “huge flames” and heard “glass shattering” before calling 911, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Firefighting teams responded to the fire at 4:43 p.m., which took 45 firefighters 33 minutes to extinguish, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news release.
A man, presumed to be Rothschild, was found dead among the burned remains of the building.
Rothschild family member allegedly killed by a fire at his home
After firefighters extinguished a fire in a house in Hollywood Hills (Los Angeles, California), they found a man’s corpse inside pic.twitter.com/QOxBFeGtMt
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) November 28, 2024
LAFD shared the address of the home: 8551 Lookout Mountain Avenue in the Hollywood Hills West area.
Neighbors described Rothschild as a reclusive and “eccentric millionaire” — or even billionaire, according to KABC-TV.
[embedded content]
But despite Rothschild’s alleged wealth, he lived in conditions consistent with “a hoarder.”
One neighbor mourned for Rothschild.
“It is very sad,” Jim Moore said. “He was a good guy, a good neighbor.”
Nearby resident Dana Gladstone described Rothschild as being in his late seventies and “devoted to his dog,” according to the Times.
It is unclear if the dog, an Afghan hound, was harmed during the fire, but one neighbor said he hadn’t seen the pet since the incident.
“The guy was attached to his dog,” Gladstone said.
Reclusive Rothschild family member dies in Los Angeles house fire: report https://t.co/7yNHVSJ6rR pic.twitter.com/hmx2rrZqbk
— New York Post (@nypost) November 29, 2024
Rothschild reportedly owned a vintage car collection, storing the vehicles on his various properties, according to KABC-TV.
One house was decorated with busts of the great philosophers and painters, such as Raphael and Michelangelo, the Times reported.
Rothschild also owned a red Porsche that reportedly once belonged to famed basketball player Michael Jordan.
This incident marks the second death of a Rothschild this year.
British financier Jacob Rothschild, 87, died in February.
He was a “senior member of one of Europe’s best-known banking dynasties,” CNBC reported.
