Kat Von D Accused of Causing House Fire, She Denies: “I Didn’t Set the House on Fire”
“This week I’ve been accused of burning down a house and contributing to the death of a woman with cancer,” Kat Von D said in a TikTok video posted Saturday, June 13.
This all started Thursday, June 11, when a man named Tevo shared a TikTok story suggesting that Kat Von D’s candle negligence contributed to the fire in a house she once rented from his mom that was featured on her reality show L.A. Ink.
He said that in 2008 his mom decided to rent out the castle-style house she owned because she was having money issues. Teva said he remembered visiting Kat while she lived there and found the way she lived to be “bizarre.”
“There were candles everywhere!” Teva said, along with lots of taxidermy.
“Shocker, the house burned,” Teva continued. He then claims that the “arson investigators” determined that it was a “candle fire.”
He then went on to say that his family believes “the stress from the fires, the restoration process, and the lawsuit,” is what brought back his mother’s cancer.
He also accused Kat of sending his mom “spiteful, hateful emails,” and called Kat “a liar, a narcissist, truly a mean person.”
He went on to say he and his family believed Kat had “dark energy,” and says his mom was working on a book about what she went through, but did not release it because she was scared of Kat’s “energy.” Teva now believes his mom’s energy will protect him. He also says he does not forgive Kat.
@hollywoodhillscastle Some stories deserve to be told #castle #hollywood
Kat responded a few days later with receipts. She says she felt “forced” to make the video.
She said she wanted to be “as respectful as I can, but it’s hard to not be disheartened”
Kat pointed out that the incident happened almost 16 years ago, she she thinks
“Teva is accusing me of burning down his mother’s house because I was lighting candles, which is not true,” Kat says. “I wasn’t even home when it happened. I was on a book tour.”
Kat says that Teva’s accusation that Kat made his mom sign an NDA was also “not true.” Kat says she did make people sign NDAs, but claims she never gave his mom an NDA to sign after the fire.
She says she rented a “small house” in the Hollywood Hills from a woman named Debra. Kat said she loved because it was used as Frankenstein’s castle from a 1930s film. “Even though it was tiny, it was perfect for me and my cat,” Kat says.
Kat believes that the fire started from an electrical fire from a recording studio in the basement of the house. She said that the “official arson, fire guys that came over to inspect” told them that it was not a candle fire, but instead believed it was an electrical fire.
Kat has emails where she shared concerns with Debra over electrical issues after she saw sparks two times. Kat claims that instead of hiring electricians, Debra sent over her husband to address the issue.
“Do I think that this could have been avoided? Possibly,” Kat says. “But to go and blame me and my gothic decor. It’s just not right.”
“The fire took everything from me. I literally had nothing,” she goes on. “And most importantly, my little kitten Valentine was in the house when the fire happened.” Kat says the kitten didn’t burn alive, but was found dead in her bed, most likely killed from smoke inhalation.
Kat then addressed the claim that she had something to do with Teva’s mom’s cancer. “I am really sorry for your loss . . . but at the same time I didn’t set the house on fire. This was a tragedy, and it was out of both of our controls.”
@katvond Furthermore… The video was already so long so I’ll finish here with addressing Tevas accusations: You were a teenager when I rented from your mother, so I understand that you only know what you’ve heard as a kid, but I was an adult, who had a business manager, as well as a legal team that kept ALL files and paper work, all of which I’ve gone through now and confirmed since you’ve posted your video(s): •filming LA Ink on the property – your mom was made aware that I was filming. In fact, she never had a problem with it until episodes aired after the fire. And when she actually DID pursue it (unlike your theory that she was “too tired at the time to pursue”). She went directly to TLC/Discovery channel as well as the production company who filmed and owned LA Ink. What came from that, I have no idea as it was not my business deal to make, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually did get payed. What I do know, is that we did check our leasing agreement and nowhere in it did it say I wasn’t allowed to film. But unlike your accusation, I never claimed to have owned the house. •after the lawsuit between your mothers insurance company and mine was settled where your mother gained OVER 2 times what the entire property was appraised for (hence the beautiful pool addition to the property), your mom sent me a cease and desist for posting that photo of me standing in the fire (the same one you used in your video) as well as a tweet that I posted stating it was an electrical fire. I never made her sign an NDA, but she most definitely enforced a claus to silence me about what really happened. We have that paperwork too. •Jeffree Star – you’ve since made a new video saying that you’re afraid of my “energy” and that you’ve spoken with Jeffree who claims to “know” what really happened. I’ve already disclosed what really happened in my video. So, I’m not afraid of you, or Jeffree – who is literally famous for publicly lying (especially about me) or attacking anyone with a following to gain any public attention he can. We have a long history, and frankly it’s exhausting how he just won’t stop making content about me. That movie is getting old. •Lastly, I encourage everyone to actually watch Teva’s tik tok @Teva . Go through and watch how from the beginning of making an account around this house, his entire goal (which he has no problem proclaiming over and over and over again) is to profit off the house. He literally says “It turns out it’s not really that cheap to have a castle, so I gotta figure something out.” So much of his repetitive content using his mother’s death as an excuse to do photoshoots of himself in wet shirts, and somehow that’s how he says he’s “honoring her”. I’m not the only one who’s calling that out. He literally made a video addressing people who have questioned his sincerity in a lot of his posts. Teva, your mother’s house is beautiful, but you don’t need to publicly attack me to get the attention and business opportunities that your house genuinely deserves. I sincerely hope you find peace.
Teva came back with his own receipts. He says he was given his mother’s email login, so he has documentation of all correspondence between attorneys, insurance demands, preparations for court, and the fire reports.
He started by talking about a candle incident Kat Von D allegedly had in the house just four months before the massive fire. In the email correspondence Teva shares, Kat claims that there was no fire, but that candles did set off the smoke alarm, and then neighbors called the fire department.
Kat says she threw most of her candles away after this incident and replaced them with battery-operated flameless candles.
He also showed a reported from one of the fire investigators claiming that the cause of the fire was an “unattended candle.” Teva says all of the investigators had the same findings.
@hollywoodhillscastle Setting the record straight #castle #storytime
What is known is that in 2012, State Farm sued Kat Von D for $900k because they believed her candles caused the fire in the home.
UPDATE: On Tuesday, June 16, Kat posted a “final video” on the matter after what she called a “productive meeting” with her lawyers.
@katvond
In the video, Kat says Teva showed documents from a fire investigator hired by his mom and/or her insurance company.
She then shared the document from the fire marshal which says the the cause of the fire is “undetermined” and “under investigation.”
Kat also addressed the lawsuit, which Kat said her lawyers suggested that she settle.
She again said that she was on a “well-documented” book tour when the fire happened. “I’m not sure how a candle could physically light itself without me being there,” she said.
Kat then addressed the “hate mail” allegations, and said that Teva didn’t post evidence of this because there is none.
As for Teva’s mother’s cancer, Kat defend says, “I cannot be held responsible for Teva’s mother’s cancer progression. She was diagnosed prior to the fire happening.” Kat says Debra was diagnosed with cancer before 2010 and didn’t pass way until 2025.
