Los Angeles lumber commun ty watches as city burns

! HREE DAYS of violence, arson

I and looting in Los Angeles, Ca., deeply scarred a community and the building material companies that serve it.

The riots, ignited by racial tensions after the not guilty verdict was handed down Wednesday April 29 in the Rodney King police brutality trial, resulted in 59 deaths, 2,383 injured, 5,383 reported structure fires, 15,000 arrests and approximately $785 million in damages.

Many lumber companies locked up and fled the area. Some nailed plywood over every opening. Mar Vista Lumber Co. backedhugepilesof lumberagainst the doors and windows and left. Others just closed early to give employees a chance to get home safely.

HomeBase closed three stores in the "emergency area" eady April 30 but reopened later the next day. "Police and law enforcement officials actually requested we stay open because people were boarding up or sweeping up and needed plywood and brooms," said Carol Elfstrom.

"The area around our Hollywood store was heavily looted," said Tom Mullin, The Terry Companies. "People came in for a fair amount of plywood, and a few hours later they would be back for more because their store was looted and burned."

Others chose to stay open in self defense, some hiring their own armed security guards. At Jones Wholesale Lumber Co., located two doors from a looted and burned liquor store and a block from a decimated shopping cen-