Fire at Sun Valley Business Sends Elderly Owner to the Hospital

SUN VALLEY - On Saturday September 14, 2013,  Los Angeles Firefighters battled a blaze in a commercial building that seriously injured the business owner.

At 11:18 AM, The Los Angeles Fire Department  responded to 10642 West Arminta Street. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from a 50' by 150' single story commercial building. Within minutes of the firefight explosives were heard. Fire companies made a coordinated retreat and a defensive fire attack ensued. Nearly 100 firefighters, under the command of Battalion Chief  Robert Takeshita fully extinguished the flames in just 36 minutes.

The 80 year old business owner sustained burn injuries and was transported to an area hospital in serious condition. The owner of  Hollywood Engineering, had been at this location for over 40 years, where reloading equipment for ammunition was fabricated.

 The blaze was confined to the building of fire origin and deemed unsafe by the Department of Building and Safety. Because of the close proximity, the owners residence was also red tagged. The American Red Cross assisted with temporary placement for 3 adults, and 2 dogs.

Monetary loss from the fire was estimated at $500,000 ($250,000 structure & $250,000 contents). Los Angeles Fire Department Arson Investigators determined the cause to be electrical in nature.

Dispatched Units: E77 E89 T89 E289 RA89 RA889 E60 T60 E260 BC12 BC10 E81 E239 T39 E86 E298 E98 T98 DC3 EM15 BC14 T88 E288 UR88 E27 UR27 BC5 E88 RA88 E227 T27 AR1 AR2

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Submitted by Katherine Main, Spokesperson
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Los Angeles Firefighters Rescue Victims From Sun Valley House Blaze

SUN VALLEY - Los Angeles Firefighters quickly extinguish a house blaze that injured five, one critically.

Summoned by a 9-1-1 call at 12:18 AM on November 10, 2012, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded quickly to 8919 Stanwin Avenue in Sun Valley, to discover a one-story residence, with heavy fire showing. The structure was of typical 1950's stucco construction, with a hip-style roof, and four bedrooms, one of which was converted from a large 20' x 14' enclosed patio.

LAFD crews swiftly took to the roof to perform strategic vertical ventilation of heat and smoke, as their colleagues forced entry into the house to battle the well entrenched flames in the living room, enclosed patio-room, and kitchen. Four residents were inside when the blaze broke out.

Firefighters made an aggressive search and rescue operation of the 1,827 square-feet residence and successfully rescued the most critically injured from the front bedroom, and ensured all other occupants were out safely.

It took the well-coordinated effort of 45 Los Angeles Firefighters, under the command of Battalion Chief Daniel McCarty, just 21 minutes to extinguish the flames before they could spread to nearby residences.

A total of five adults were injured. Two were occupants and three were neighbors: A 50 year-old female suffered 2nd & 3rd degree burns to 25% of her body, and was rapidly treated and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. A 45 year-old male suffered a minor respiratory injury and was treated and transported to local hospital in fair to serious condition. Three neighbors suffered minor cuts to their hands after attempting to rescue the victims, and declined transport to the hospital.

All four residents of the house fire were displaced, only two were injured.

Smoke alarms were located in the residence, however their functional status was not readily determined, and no smoke alarms were found in or immediately outside the room where the critically injured were rescued. There were no obvious non-fire factors to impair the occupants egress from the dwelling, which was not equipped with residential fire sprinklers.

Monetary loss from the fire is still being tabulated. The cause of the blaze remains under active investigation by the LAFD Arson Section.

Dispatched Units: E289 E89 T89 RA889 E77 RA77 E7 EM14 BC14 E81 RA81 E39 E298 T98 AR2 AR12 AR17

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Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Los Angeles Firefighters Help Two Injured in Pacoima Plane Crash

PACOIMA - A small airplane crash near Whiteman Airport on Saturday afternoon, injured two persons aboard, one seriously.

In response to several 9-1-1 calls just before noon on August 25, 2012, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to 10725 San Fernando Road in Pacoima, where they discovered a small, fixed wing, single-engine plane with significant front end damage. The two-seater airplane was nestled between two businesses on a block wall and was impaled by a wrought iron fence. The air craft's 65 horsepower engine was completely separated from the fuselage.

Civilians first on scene helped remove one occupant from the plane, and Fire Department personnel quickly aided with removal of the second man, believed to be the pilot.

There was approximately five gallons of fuel in the craft, some of which spilled, however it did not catch fire.

In addition to the fence, two vehicles and an awning of a nearby building were damaged. Fortunately, no one on the ground was injured.

Approximately 25 firefighters, under the command of Battalion Chief Randy Beaty, stopped the fuel leak, stabilized the plane, and provided rapid medical treatment. Two approximate 65 year-old males were injured and transported to a local hospital, one in Serious and one in Fair conditon.

The cause of the crash is undetermined at this time, both the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were notified for a formal investigation.

Dispatched Units: E298 T98 RA98 E60 E275 T75 RA75 E91 HR56 EM14 BC12 UR88 E7 RA7 E287 T87 FT100 DC3 E88 SQ21 BC15 BC14 UR88 EM14

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Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Prevent a Nightmare on the 4th of July

Fire Chief Brian L. Cummings wants you and your family to have a fun and safe 4th of July. The best way to do that is to be prepared and know your local laws.

Some are still surprised to learn that the use or sale of ALL FIREWORKS including so called "safe and sane" have been illegal in the City of Los Angeles since 1942, except at approved fireworks shows of course.

As you can imagine, every 4th of July is one of the busiest days of the year for emergency services, and most calls are for fires and injuries caused by people using illegal fireworks. All too often, firefighters care for painful and disfiguring firecracker injuries that happen to the eyes, hands, head, and face.

Here are four statistics to contemplate...

1. Almost half of all people injured were children under the age of 15.
2. According to the United States eye registry, more bystanders are injured by fireworks than by the people who set them off.
3. Sparklers can heat up to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (that is hot enough to melt gold).
4. The highest numbers of injuries are firecrackers (26%), rockets (21%), and sparklers (11%). 

Playing with fireworks can hurt your pocketbook and calendar too. Possessing fireworks is a misdemeanor, punishable with a fine of $1,000 and/or one year in jail. In addition, our law enforcement friends remind you of the obvious dangers associated with discharging firearms into the air.

Your LAFD is committed to safety and thus started the Anti-Fireworks campaign in 1982 and participates in an annual joint 4th of July Anti-Fireworks Press Conference, educating and informing citizens, all in an effort to reduce the number of injuries and property loss caused by illegal fireworks.

We need your help: 

• If you see a fire, call 9-1-1. 
• Remind others to never experiment with or make their own fireworks.
• Never let anyone touch or pick up a dud firecracker that is lying on the ground.

Lets not forget about our furry friends. Remember, they have very sensitive hearing and can be stressed or frightened due to noise from fireworks. So, how about keeping your pets indoors with the windows closed and the air conditioner on? Give them the night off and let them enjoy the television or radio, it helps to block some of the noise.

"Prevent a nightmare on the 4th of July. Stay away from playing with fireworks, and play it safe by attending a public fireworks display." - Fire Chief Brian L. Cummings

FOR A LIST OF FIREWORKS SHOWS IN THE GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA:

safejuly4th.org or (888) 654-FIRE
     

Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Los Angeles Firefighters Attack Downtown Blaze

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - A large fire broke out today in a one-story commercial building in downtown L.A. Over 100 Firefighters extinguished the blaze before anyone was hurt.

Image courtesy KTLA-TV. Used with permission.

Just after 1:30 p.m. Firefighters arrived at 1221 Hope Street to find heavy smoke pouring out of a 150' x 75' pre-1933 structure.

Firefighters rapidly forced entry and made their way through dark, smoky conditions, bringing hose-lines to the seat of the fire. Truck Companies simultaneously performed strategic vertical ventilation with chainsaws on the roof.

Due to the aggressive attack of Los Angeles Firefighters, under the command of Battalion Chief Gutierrez, the flames were extinguished in just 34 minutes.

The front portion of this 7,000 square-foot building was filled with artwork by Terrell Moore, the rear portion had a plant growing operation.

The dollar loss is estimated at $300,000 ($200,000 structure and $100,000 contents). The cause of this Greater Alarm fire is under active investigation.

Dispatched Units: E210 E10 T10 E9 T9 RA209 E3 RA803 SQ21 EM18 BC13 BC1 E15 RA810 DC1 E13 E215 T15 E4 E226 T26 EM1 BC11 T27 E227 E27 RA27 UR88 BC5 E11 T11 E211 BC18 BC2 MD1 EA1 RA13 RA15 RA4 EM11 RT40 AR7 AR2 SU1

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Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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