Illegally Configured Home Cooking System Sparks Boyle Heights Blaze, Displacing 12

BOYLE HEIGHTS - A fast-moving non-injury fire in a two story residential fourplex caused more than a quarter-million dollars in damage, leaving 12 persons homeless early Wednesday morning.

The fire at 156 South Soto Street in Boyle Heights was reported at 3:44 AM on April 10, 2013, bringing the swift response of 34 Los Angeles Firefighters, who arrived to find a fire that had quickly extended from the rear of the structure to take strong hold of the attic.

LAFD crews held the bulk of flames within the attic, fully extinguishing the stubborn fire in just 35 minutes without injury. Twelve residents displaced by the flames were offered charitable and emotional assistance on-site by Disaster Action Team volunteers from the American Red Cross.

Loss from the fire is estimated at $280,000 ($200,000 structure & $80,000 contents). The blaze was reportedly sparked by an illegal cooking configuration involving propane cylinders.

Dispatched Units: E202 E2 T2 RA2 E25 RA25 EM1 BC1 E9 E4 T9 DC1

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Smoke Alarms Absent in Boyle Heights Fire that Displaces 17

BOYLE HEIGHTS - Seventeen residents of an eastside duplex were displaced by a raging fire Wednesday morning, that sent one man to the hospital.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 6:15 AM on February 13, 2013, to 1901 East Pennsylvania Avenue in Boyle Heights. Firefighters arrived quickly to find heavy fire within the kitchen and hallway of a first floor unit in a two-story residential duplex.


Thirty-nine firefighters under the command of Battalion Chief Phillip Fligiel skillfully confined the fire near the area of origin, extinguishing the flames in just 17 minutes. One male resident who suffered smoke exposure was taken to an area hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Firefighters expressed clear amazement that there were no additional injuries or loss of life, as the building was not equipped with smoke alarms as required by law.

Monetary loss from the fire - which rendered the building temporarily untenable, was limited to $30,000 ($25,000 structure & $5,000 contents). Nine residents of the downstairs apartment, and eight living upstairs were offered interim housing assistance by the American Red Cross.

The cause of the predawn fire is considered accidental, and attributed to the improper storage of combustible items near a water heater.

Dispatched Units: E2 T2 E202 RA2 E4 RA804 EM1 BC1 E9 RA4 E25 T10 E210

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Elderly Couple Struggle to Survive Boyle Heights House Fire

BOYLE HEIGHTS - Despite a valiant rescue effort by Good Samaritans, and the quick response of Los Angeles Firefighters, an elderly man and woman were hospitalized in grave condition Thursday morning, after an accidental fire swept through their home.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 9:00 AM on January 10, 2013 to 3136 East Malabar Street, where they found a 1,400 square foot one-story home fully involved with fire.


A pair of men, who had just taken their children to adjacent Malabar Elementary School, ran to the scene and forced entry to the rear of the home, kicking a door to begin rescue of a non-breathing 70 year-old woman. The LAFD arrived to complete the effort and provide advanced medical care for the lifeless resident.

Despite oppressive fire conditions fed by variable wind, firefighters relentlessly searched the burning building to find and rescue the woman's non-breathing 90 year old spouse. He was swiftly provided care by a separate team of LAFD Paramedics, and the two were soon transported in 'grave' condition to nearby hospitals.

Sixty Los Angeles Firefighters under the command of Battalion Chief Phillip Fligiel, prevented the fire from spreading to adjacent homes or the nearby school. They fully extinguished the flames in just 21 minutes. Two firefighters suffered smoke exposure due to suddenly shifting winds. They were medically evaluated at the scene before being returned to duty. No other injuries were reported.

A post-fire investigation found no evidence of functional smoke alarms within the home, and further determined that window security bars were not equipped with mandated emergency escape quick-release systems. A front door security screen was found to be secured inappropriately with a padlock, and myriad electrical hazards, including overloaded circuits, improperly used extension cords and portable space heaters were found throughout the 107 year-old wood frame home, which was not equipped with residential fire sprinklers.

Monetary loss from the fire - which destroyed the home, is still being tabulated. Following a detailed examination of the scene, LAFD Investigators resolutely determined there were no suspicious circumstances. The specific cause of the fire remains undetermined.

Dispatched Units: E2 E25 RA25 RA1 T3 E203 EM1 BC1 E9 E16 T9 T2 E202 RA17 RA9 EM13 AR1 DC1 EM3 AR23 AR39 AR12 AR17 E203 T3

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Chemical Investigation at Science Annex

On Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 2:35 PM, 6 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 5 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 1 Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team and 49 Firefighters, all under the direction of Battalion Chief Manuel Lafarga, responded to a Chemical Investigation at 2250 East Alcazar Street in Lincoln Heights.

First arriving units were quick to gather as much information as was available at the USC Clinical Science Annex. It was discovered that the unidentified substance was isolated to one, single laboratory on the second floor of the two-story facility. The decision was then made by the Incident Commander to safely and quickly evacuate the entire building. However, there were 10 lab workers close enough in proximity to the spill, that warranted brief isolation from the lab. This task was carried-out by Firefighters who all made entry dressed in their appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE's). Subsequently, each of the 10 lab workers and another 14 building occupants (also on the floor at the time of the spill) received body scans with the Hazardous Material Squad's radiological detectors.

As an extra safety measure, a Decontamination Team was also put in place. Thankfully, there were no direct exposures to the spill, all detector readings were within normal limits and no occupants exhibited any signs or symptoms of illness or discomfort. Decontamination, therefore, was not required and all were eventually cleared and released at the scene.

The substance was deemed to be unharmful and of very small quantity (less than 2 ounces). After a meticulous sweep of the entire building and the processing of its occupants, the lab was sealed, the incident declared static and after three hours, was turned over to the Los Angeles County Health and Hazardous Materials Department as well as USC officials.

Adjacent occupancies, while alarmed because of the nature of the incident, were sheltered-in-place briefly, but were not affected due to the strategic management of the incident.

The incident is under investigation.

Submitted by Matt Spence, Spokesman Los Angeles Fire Department

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