SUN VALLEY - A Sunday afternoon blaze at Sun Valley High School seriously damaged two classrooms, but led to no injuries, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
LAFD was first summoned by an alarm service at 1:15 PM on March 3, 2013 to investigate a sensor activation in a building at Sun Valley High School, 9171 Telfair Avenue in Sun Valley.
Firefighters arrived quickly at the unoccupied campus to find flames showing from a one story structure containing two classrooms. Forcing entry into the well secured building, firefighters found a fast-moving blaze in a storeroom between art and film classrooms, that had taken hold of the structure's shallow attic.
Fifty-three Los Angeles Firefighters under the command of Battalion Chief Curt Klafta held damage from the inferno to less than 40% of the building, extinguishing the flames in just 31 minutes.
No injuries were reported. Loss from the fire was limited to $750,000 ($500,000 structure & $250,000 contents). The cause of the fire is undetermined.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A mishap in a North Hollywood high school chemistry lab caused a temporary campus evacuation and led to four persons being hospitalized.
Fire Department crews responded quickly to help coordinate a calm and orderly evacuation of students and faculty to the school's athletic field, as LAFD Hazardous Materials experts made their way to the chemistry classroom where the incident occurred.
According to witnesses, a teacher was performing a science experiment before a class of 45 students, when a sudden and unanticipated reaction produced noxious fumes. Immediately closing the container and placing it under a ventilation hood in the classroom, the teacher moved the students from the room as a precautionary measure. There was no fire, explosion or obvious injury to those who witnessed the reaction.
Students assembled on the athletic field as firefighters examined the school's gymnasium to assure it safe, before moving evacuees there as respite from the sun of a warm Spring day. The 45 students and teacher from the involved classroom were individually examined at the scene by Fire Department responders, including an emergency physician who serves as the LAFD Medical Director.
Two adults and two students with minor medical complaints were taken to an area hospital by ambulance for further evaluation.
School administrators did evacuate the entire campus as a precaution, but not before three individuals (one student, two adults) were treated for smoke inhalation. One patient, an approximate 50 year old female, was transported to a local hospital in "fair" condition with non-life threatening injuries and an unknown, but related illness.
The blaze was fully extinguished by 57 Firefighters in just 35 minutes. The LAFD's Arson-Counter-Terrorism Section was dispatched to the school, where they quickly determined this fire to have been "intentionally and maliciously set." Arson Investigators remained for several hours, processing the scene. Two juveniles, believed to have been students at the school, were consequently arrested and booked on "Arson" charges. Both were later released into the custody of their respective parents. Investigators say a third arrest of another juvenile, is imminent.
The incident remains under active investigation and all three juveniles will be summoned to court at a later date. Dollar loss estimates were placed at $75,000. There were no Firefighter injuries reported.
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Fire Department and MySafe:LA joined 8.6 million Californians and participated in the annual "Great California Shake Out" earthquake drill. This statewide event provides an opportunity for all to further prepare themselves for major earthquakes when they occur and how best to be protected for survival.
Thursday morning, October 20, 2011, Los Angeles Firefighters and members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) conducted a "mock" rescue of two classrooms at Bushnell Elementary School. In this scenario, students were unable to evacuate after a "significant" earthquake. Fourth and fifth graders were educated about earthquake safety, preparedness and how to protect themselves by practicing Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
With almost 38 million people living in California, a considerable earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation. LAFD is devoted to ensure disasters do not become catastrophes.
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 Article any source
