October 8, 2021
Here’s the latest news impacting Los Angeles Firefighters…
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Crews extinguish large structure fire in El Sereno; 1 firefighter injured
Crews put out a large structure fire Thursday at an El Sereno commercial building that left one firefighter injured. The blaze at the 200-foot by 200-foot one-story commercial building at 4900 E. Alhambra Ave. started around 5:20 p.m. with fire going through the roof, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. There were 146 LAFD personnel assigned to fight the fire, dubbed the Alhambra Fire, as it escalated to major emergency status. About 90 minutes into the firefight, LAFD crews joined by L.A. County Fire Department personnel were able to hold the flames and transition toward an offensive fire attack. Two hours in, the fire was fully extinguished, LAFD said.
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Crews battle commercial structure fire in Boyle Heights
Firefighters battled a blaze that burned through a commercial building in Boyle Heights late Monday night. The fire was reported at 11:30 p.m. at 1601 E. First St. and was growing quickly, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters arrived to find a deep-seated fire sending flames towering over the structure. Video showed the blaze was burning at A&B Liquor Market. Crews had a difficult time making entry into the structure, and went into a defensive operation, deploying ladder pipes and large diameter hand lines to battle the flames, LAFD said in an alert. More than an hour later, firefighters were still faced with a long battle ahead as pockets of fire burned in areas too difficult for firefighters to reach.
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3 firefighters hurt while battling massive warehouse fire in Carson
Three firefighters were hurt, including one who was hospitalized, while working to put out a massive blaze burning outside a warehouse in Carson Thursday. The flames ultimately burned an area the size of a city block after being reported around 2:10 p.m. in the 16300 block of Avalon Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. The fire was spreading among rubbing alcohol wipes stored in crates and pallets, said Sean Ferguson, an L.A. County fire inspector. Surrounded businesses and some residents in a nearby mobile home community were evacuated due to the size of the blaze, L.A. County sheriff’s officials said. Sky5 arrived above the scene around 3 p.m. as the entire yard was engulfed in tall, bright-orange flames burning fiercely and reducing large stacks to piles of charred rubbish. The situation presented a challenge because the crates and pallets were piled high, Ferguson said. “It’s dangerous and it’s difficult to get in there because it has a significant fall hazard, especially once it’s under fire,” he said. Some 200 firefighters were on scene battling the greater-alarm fire as of 4:45 p.m., including some L.A. city firefighters, officials said.
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Grass Fire in Lincoln Heights Damages 3 Homes
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a grass fire at 147 N. Avenue 18 in Lincoln Heights that spread to and damaged three homes around 4 p.m. Saturday. Crews were able to knockdown the flames in an hour. One firefighter, according to a tweet by LAFD, “sustained a non-life-threatening medical problem.”
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Crews put out large house fire in North Hills
Crews were responding to a large house fire in North Hills Friday night. Officials were called shortly before 9 p.m. about the fire in the 15900 block of West Napa Street, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert. There was heavy smoke and flames pouring from the one-story home in aerial video from Sky5. Fire officials said the flames spread to the outside of a neighboring building that serves as a board-and-care home. One person inside couldn’t stand without assistance and sheltered in place, while two others evacuated. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames before anyone was hurt, but four occupants will be displaced, authorities said.
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LAFD Knocks Down Fire Inside Vacant Church Building in Florence Area
Firefighters knocked down a fire inside a vacant church building in the Florence area of Los Angeles. The blaze at 6108 S. Main St. was reported at 5:15 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. A total of 45 firefighters were sent to the scene and extinguished flames in under 20 minutes, Prange said.
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Power restored after underground explosion leaves thousands in dark near downtown LA
An underground electrical vault exploded in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, sending flames and sparks into the sky and temporarily knocking out power for thousands of Angelenos. The explosion happened just before 9 p.m in the area of Margo Street and Pico Boulevard., but nobody was hurt. Officials say about 7,000 power customers were affected in the neighborhoods of Echo Park, Silverlake and East Hollywood. City power crews managed to restore power in the area overnight.
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Hyde Park Structure Fire
09-30-2021 1:28pm 3656 W Slauson Av MAP: https://bit.ly/3EZkema
First arriving 20 LAFD Firefighters (assisted by LACoFD E172 / CD18 in Automatic Aid) took just 18 minutes to access, confine and extinguish flames in one corner of a one story commercial building (unknown business type/name). No injury. Fire cause under investigation.
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Brush Fire in Hollywood Hills
The Los Angeles Fire Department was dispatched to 2580 East Cahuenga Boulevard at 10:53 a.m. on Saturday, October 2, after receiving a call regarding a brush fire burning near a homeless encampment. According to LAFD, when they arrived on the scene at 11:20 a.m., one-quarter-acre of brush was burning. Fifty-five fire personnel extinguished the blaze in approximately 27 minutes.
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Firefighters Battle Structure & Brush Fires in Same Neighborhood
Authorities responded to reports of a structure fire. First responding units reported a structure fire at 1146 S. Esperanza St with the rear of the residence well involved. The arriving unit also reported an additional header with fire at a nearby location and requested additional resources. Additional units responded to 1100 S. Calzona St for a brush fire that had started with threats to nearby structures. Firefighters battled both fires, and were able to knock them both down.
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Authorities Investigate Possible Grow Operation After House Fire Doused
Authorities Friday were investigating a possible grow operation that was found after firefighters doused a blaze at Panorama City home. The fire was reported about 3:15 p.m. at the one-story home at 14711 W. Gledhill St., according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. Flames spread from the home’s attic to its two-car garage, fully engulfing it. However, firefighters prevented the fire from spreading further, and the flames were extinguished by about 4:10 p.m.
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Fire Crews Extinguish High Level Fire in North Hollywood
More than 80 firefighters fought and knocked down a large scale fire in North Hollywood Saturday where flames had sprung though the roof of the structure. Fire crews responded at 1:31 a.m. to a one-story commercial building at 5708 N. Cahuenga Blvd. and after taking a position from the rear doused the building with large amounts of water over 46 minutes, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. The 81 firefighters extinguished the fire at 2:17 a.m. and Prange said the blaze was classified as a Greater Alarm fire.
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Structure Fire Knockdown in Hollywood
The Los Angeles Fire Department battled a structure fire on Sunday, September 26 at 7:02 a.m. The blaze was reported at a home located at 5652 Fountain Avenue. The LAFD reported on Twitter that it was a one-story boarded-up home with smoke showing. A total of 30 LAFD firefighters extinguished the attic fire in a vacant single-family home in 28 minutes without any injuries reported.
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Car hits Pacoima apartment in crash that killed driver and injured 5
The driver of a pickup truck died and five people were injured in a two-vehicle crash Sunday in Pacoima that sent a car careening into an apartment building. The crash happened outside 10460 Laurel Canyon Blvd. around 8:35 p.m., according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. ABC7 reported the driver of a white pickup died after he turned into the path of a red car. The pickup driver died at the scene, police said.
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North Hollywood crash injures four, two critically
A multi-vehicle crash Thursday in the North Hollywood area today left four people injured, two critically. Paramedics were sent to the 11400 block of Vanowen Street about 12:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A Ford Explorer overturned, but no one was trapped in the wreckage, the LAFD reported. Three vehicles were involved in the crash, said a photographer at the scene.
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Children, police officers among 8 hurt in South L.A. crash
Two children and two police officers were among eight people injured in a traffic collision in South Los Angeles Friday night, fire officials said. The crash occurred just before 8 p.m. on South Central Avenue near the corner with 107th Street in the Green Meadows neighborhood, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert. All eight patients were hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening, authorities said.
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Police search for driver, passenger of Range Rover that fled fatal North Hills hit-and-run crash
Police are searching for the driver and passenger in a fatal hit-and-run crash in North Hills that killed another driver early Tuesday. The crash happened around 5:20 a.m. when a black 2016 Range Rover was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Hayvenhurst Avenue, ran a red light and collided with a 2018 Toyota Camry traveling eastbound on Nordhoff Street, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. The Range Rover then crashed into a gray Honda Civic and white Toyota Tacoma traveling westbound Nordhoff Street.
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Butane Canisters Found in L.A. Commercial Building Damaged in June Fire
Authorities today were investigating whether butane canisters were being stored illegally in a three-story commercial building in downtown Los Angeles that was the site of a fire in June. Firefighters were sent to 203 E. Third St. at 9:19 a.m. Wednesday to conduct a “followup ... and located a potentially illegal storage cache of butane canisters, some of which appear(ed) to be off-gassing,'' Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. A hazardous materials team was sent to investigate, Stewart said.
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Tracking coronavirus vaccinations in California
Experts say about 85% of Americans will need to be vaccinated to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. This page tracks California’s progress toward that goal using data from state and federal authorities.
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Firefighters Work Towards Containment of 12 Calif. Wildfires
Over 9,900 firefighters continue to work towards containment on 12 major wildfires and two extended attack wildfires burning in the state, Cal Fire said Saturday morning. Firefighters also responded to 22 new wildfires Friday, according to Cal Fire. The Dixie Fire in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama counties has been declared the largest fire in California's history. It is currently 88 percent contained, having burned 960,641 acres, Cal Fire said.
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California Fire Map & Tracker
An interactive map of wildfires burning across the Bay Area and California.
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Remembering Our Fallen Brothers & Sisters |
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Captain
Harry E. Finch
Deceased: 9/22/2021
Appointed: 12/17/1951
Assignment: FS 23
Retired: 7/9/1978
Firefighter III
John C. Hendricks
Deceased: 9/22/2021
Appointed: 3/1/1989
Assignment: FS 55
Retired: 7/3/2009
Captain
Ralph E. Davis
Deceased: 9/18/2021
Appointed: 7/10/1947
Assignment: FS 87
Retired: 6/1/1978
Captain II
Stephen J. Engh
Deceased: 9/9/2021
Appointed: 11/7/1977
Assignment: Medical Liaison
Retired: 11/18/1999
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Captain
Vaughn C. Swanson
Deceased: 9/5/2021
Appointed: 1/29/1959
Assignment: FS 47
Retired: 1/30/1985
Fireman
Robert M. Wallace
Deceased: 9/5/2021
Appointed: 11/2/1963
Assignment: FS 24
Retired: 7/1/1978
Assistant Chief
Johnny M. Sampson
Deceased: 9/3/2021
Appointed: 5/19/1958
Assignment: Division 3
Retired: 7/3/1988
Battalion Chief
James D. Dayen
Deceased: 9/1/2021
Appointed: 4/1/1957
Assignment: Battalion 3
Retired: 6/2/1982
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Engineer
Vito E. Maggipinto
Deceased: 8/31/2021
Appointed: 11/1/1948
Assignment: FS 1
Retired: 2/1/1977
Engineer
Edward P. Diaz
Deceased: 8/23/2021
Appointed: 6/9/1947
Assignment: FS 49
Retired: 1/1/1978
Battalion Chief
Joseph J. Coaty
Deceased: 8/19/2021
Appointed: 11/1/1956
Assignment: Battalion 4
Retired: 8/9/1985
Firefighter II
Don A. Meredith
Deceased: 8/15/2021
Appointed: 2/9/1963
Assignment: FS 69
Retired: 8/3/1989
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UFLAC’s 2020 LAFD
Year In Review
On behalf of the approximately 3,400 Firefighters of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, IAFF Local 112 (UFLAC), we are proud to present the 2020 Los Angeles Fire Department Year in Review. UFLAC’s mission is to lead the way to protect and advocate for the health, safety, working conditions, wages and benefits of our members and their families. This book helps to tell the story of our dedicated First Responders who continued to protect lives and property in Los Angeles while risking their own safety during an extraordinary year.
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In 2020, our Firefighters and Paramedics responded to more than 444,000 emergency calls for service throughout Los Angeles - an average of 1,213 calls per day. As an all-risk fire and rescue agency serving more than four million people, the LAFD is one of the busiest fire departments in the country and we are ready to answer any call that may come our way. UFLAC is honored to help showcase the dedication and commitment demonstrated by the men and women of the LAFD. Click HERE to view the publication.
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About UFLAC: Since 1918, UFLAC has been the labor organization of the proud men and women that serve as firefighters and emergency medical responders protecting the City of Los Angeles. The members of the Los Angeles Fire Department rely on UFLAC to focus on the wellbeing and safety of those that protect the lives of others. For more information, visit www.uflac.org.
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