125 Los Angeles Firefighters Battle Sun Valley Commercial Building Blaze

SUN VALLEY - A hit-and-run driver struck a power pole in Sun Valley, causing a power surge inside a business, creating a fire that heavily damaged a commercial building Saturday morning.

At 3:05 a.m. on December 8th, 2012, Los Angeles Firefighters responded to what was originally reported as a transformer problem at 10817 Sherman Way, across the street from Bob Hope Airport. As firefighters arrived on scene, a security guard assisted them inside a large single-story concrete commercial building which was heavily charged with smoke. Additional firefighters were rapidly requested.

An aggressive attack ensued as firefighters surrounded the unoccupied building. Hoselines were brought inside the 8,400 square-foot structure and firefighters above performed louvered vertical ventilation on the lightweight panelized roof, assisting in preventing fire spread.

Due to well entrenched flames and the threat of heavy air conditioning units falling through the weakening roof on firefighters inside, a defensive attack was ordered. Firefighters got out of the roughly 150' x 100' building and poured on water from the perimeter. However, quick progress was made and an offensive attack was once again made.

A Knockdown of the Major Emergency Structure Fire was obtained by approximately 125 firefighters, under the direction of Battalion Chief Randy Beaty, in one hour and 20 minutes. Due to the hard work of firefighters, the blaze was contained to the building of origin, sparing adjacent businesses from damage. A fire wall assisted in preventing the spread of flames. No one was injured.

"It was a difficult fire in that the mezzanine area was hard to get to, we had to bring ladders into the inside of the structure, and actually put water down on top of the fire," said Assistant Chief Andy Fox with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The business which occupied one quarter of a long subdivided building was Wet Design, which makes elaborate fountains and attractions. Their famous work can be found in front of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas and The Grove in Los Angeles, among other projects throughout the world.

Intense flames destroyed a 75 'x 100' portion of the roof, along with equipment and company records. The dollar loss is being tabulated, preliminary estimations are over a million dollars.

Dispatched Units: E89 E289 T89 RA89 RA889 E77 E260 E60 T60 EM14 BC14 BC12 E81 E102 E24 E7 E239 E39 T39 E298 T98 E278 T78 E274 T74 DC3 SQ21 EM11 BC5 T88 E288 E88 UR88 RA88 BC10 E86 RA77 EA1 AR2 E98 E87 BC11

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Submitted by Erik Scott & David Ortiz, Spokesmen
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Pack-Rat Conditions Fuel Blaze in North Hollywood Home

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A woman sustained minor injury after a stove fire she thought controlled, raced through her densely packed suburban San Fernando Valley home Wednesday morning.

Alerted by multiple 9-1-1 calls from passing motorists at 7:44 AM on January 11, 2012, Los Angeles Firefighters arrived quickly at 12425 Burton Street in North Hollywood, where they found a one-story 1,189 square-foot home surrounded by dense vegetation to be well involved with fire.

On arrival, firefighters were met by the 84 year-old homeowner, who stated she had been cooking when debris in the kitchen was ignited from the stovetop. After believing she had fully extinguished the burning item, the woman exited the front door of her home for an unspecified purpose and time period.

As the woman returned to her residence, she was confronted near the front door by immense heat that singed her hair and caused her to sustain first degree facial burns. She immediately retreated from the home.


Teams of firefighters worked in unison within the house and on the roof above in battling fire that roared through the building, fueled by "pack rat" storage of combustible belongings throughout the 59 year-old non-fire sprinklered residence. It took 41 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel just twenty-one minutes to extinguish the blaze.

LAFD Firefighter/Paramedics treated and comforted the woman at the scene before transporting her in fair condition by ambulance to Kaiser Panorama City Medical Center.

No other injuries were reported.

Monetary loss from the fire is still being tabulated. The cause of the early morning blaze is categorized as accidental, and attributed to combustible debris - likely a newspaper - ignited by the stove and incompletely extinguished by the woman.

Dispatched Units: E289 E89 T89 RA889 RA89 E7 E77 E298 T98 EM14 BC12 BC14 E60 RA7 AR2

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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North Hollywood Collision Involving Metro Bus Sends Three to Hospital

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A three car collision involving a Metro transit bus sent three persons to the hospital, two with critical injury.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 9:12 AM on Friday, November 25, 2011 to the 12600 block of Sherman Way in North Hollywood for a collision between a sedan and a bus operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, after which the full-size black sedan - already wedged beneath the bus, was struck forcefully by a red compact hatchback.

LAFD Battalion Chief Peter Benesch commanded sixty-four Los Angeles Firefighters, including those assigned to eight LAFD ambulances, in a swift and skilfull effort to simultaneously rescue the two critically injured car drivers, one of whom was badly trapped in the black sedan.

Concurrently, LAFD Paramedics evaluated every transit bus occupant, including the uninjured driver. Four bus passengers declared subjective injury or illness, but only one, with a complaint of chest discomfort, was taken to the hospital.

The critically injured man driving the red hatchback was quickly transported to the Trauma Center at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was soon joined by the ill bus passenger, who was in good condition.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews swarmed over the black sedan for nearly a half-hour, briskly deconstructing the vehicle with power tools to free the male driver, whose legs were badly trapped in the wreckage. After being freed, he was rushed by ambulance to the same Trauma Center in critical condition.

Sherman Way was temporarily closed to traffic in both directions between Bellaire Avenue and Whitsett Avenue as the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division completed their on-site investigation.

Dispatched Units: T89 E289 RA81 E102 E81 T39 E239 RA7 HR56 EM14 BC14 UR88 E77 RA89 RA102 RA881 EM17 RA7 EM15 RA60 E98 E39 RA100 DC3

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Man, Deceased Found in North Hollywood Trailer Fire

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - An adult male was found deceased inside a "fifth-wheel" trailer in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 15th, 2011. Firefighters responded to 6926 North Farmdale Avenue just before 2:00 am, where a large, one-story commercial building was reportedly ablaze, with "heavy fire" at the rear of the structure. The Incident Commander immediately called for additional resources, as Firefighters forced-entry onto the secured grounds of the industrial building. What they encountered, was actually the trailer fully engulfed in flames. First arriving resources made quick work of the fire, however, in the midst of their fire-attack, discovery was made of the young man.

Just over 30 Los Angeles Firefighters fully-extinguished the fire in only 12 minutes, preventing extension into the adjacent structure, a rock and mineral company doing business as "Rock Our World." It is believed that the deceased was an employee of the business. A positive identification and exact cause of death to the approximate 20-30 year old male, will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.

The dollar loss estimate was placed at $30,000. The cause of the fire remains under active investigation by the Los Angeles Fire Department's Arson/Counter-Terrorism Section.

The Los Angeles Fire Department extends condolences to the family of the deceased.

DISPATCHED UNITS:
E289 E89 T89 RA889 RA89 E260 E60 T60 E77 BC14 BC10 E100 E86 E102 E39 T39 E239 E278 T78 T98 E298 DC3 SQ21 EM14 BC12 BC18 T88 E288 E88 UR88 BC5 AR2 AR11 AR17 AR9 T89 E289


Submitted by Erik Scott & Matt Spence, Spokesmen
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Firefighters Avert Natural Gas Disaster in North Hollywood

On Monday, June 6, 2011 at 10:04 AM, 8 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 3 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, a total of 63 Firefighters all under the direction of Assistant Chief Jeffery S. Mottram, responded to a LEAKING NATURAL GAS incident at 6800 North Coldwater Canyon Avenue in North Hollywood.


First arriving resources quickly confirmed that an approximte three-inch gas line had been broken during a street re-paving project at the intersection of North Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Vanowen Street. Additional resources were immediately ordered to assist with the precautionary evacuation of local businesses. Upon further evaluation, it was determined that the gas flow posed no immediate threat to residents in the area. The leak was located, capped and every precaution was taken to ensure citizen safety.

Following the investigation of the surrounding area, it was determined the best course of action would be to advise all in the vicinity to seek shelter indoors. Officials at two local schools, Coldwater Canyon Elementary and James Madison Middle School, were aided by Firefighters in clearing the playgrounds and getting all students into class rooms until the gas had dissipated. By noon, both schools were back to normal operations.

This incident was under Unified Command between the LAFD and LAPD until the hazard had been mitigated at approximately 3:00pm, before anyone was injured. At that point, most Fire resources were made available for other emergency responses and the incident was turned over to the Gas Company.

Submitted by Matt Spence, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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