June 3, 2022
Here’s the latest news impacting Los Angeles Firefighters…
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1 killed in Hollywood recording studio fire that left 2 injured, including daughter of Ozzy Osbourne
One person was killed and two others were injured when a fire ripped through a building in Hollywood Thursday evening. The fire was first reported around 6:35 p.m. at an industrial building on the 6600 block of W. Lexington Avenue. Firefighters arrived on scene to find smoke pouring out of a two-story concrete building. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, 78 firefighters battled the blaze and were able to extinguish the flames in about 51 minutes.
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1 injured in reported shooting at Grant High School in Van Nuys; police now searching for suspect
One person was injured after a reported shooting in front of Grant High School in Van Nuys Wednesday afternoon. The shooting happened as students were being dismissed, approximately around 3:24 p.m., according to authorities. Authorities said a male juvenile was shot in the area of Oxnard Street and Coldwater Canyon, right in front of the school. Authorities believe the incident was gang related. The victim was treated on the scene after reportedly suffering an injury to his or her leg. It's unclear if the person was a student. The victim was transported to the hospital and is said to be stable.
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UFLAC Presents the 2021 LAFD Year In Review
UFLAC is proud to present the 2021 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 publication tells the story of our dedicated First Responders who continued to protect lives and property in Los Angeles while risking their own safety during another extraordinary year. In 2021, our Firefighters and Paramedics responded to more than 475,000 emergency calls for service throughout Los Angeles - an average of 1,300 calls per day. As an all-risk fire and rescue agency serving more than four million people, the LAFD is one of the busiest and most understaffed big city fire departments in the entire country. 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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Firefighters knockdown blaze at commercial building in North Hollywood
Fire crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department knocked down a fire at a one-story commercial building in North Hollywood Saturday, at 6881 N. Troost Ave. The building reportedly houses Levi Goldstein Auctions, which is packed with items like furniture and antiques. Witnesses told CBSLA that at least two people were trapped in the building when the fire broke out and were rescued by nearby locals. Lauren Gottlieb, who witnessed the fire and capture video of the flames was among the first to run toward the auction warehouse as smoke to plume from the building and screams from inside intensified.
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Crews knockdown blaze at marijuana grow operation in Sun Valley
Firefighters were engaged with a structure fire at a marijuana grow operation in Sun Valley Tuesday morning. The blaze was first reported just after 7:00 a.m. on N. San Fernando Road, where fire and smoke were showing from a row of single-story businesses. Los Angeles Fire Department crews were dispatched to the scene of the fire and were able to contain the blaze to one 50-foot by 65-foot unit, in what appeared to be a marijuana grow operation. It took 38 units just 29 minutes to extinguish the flames and contain the situation.
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Arson investigation launched after two dumpsters, carport catch fire in Canoga Park
Arson investigators were called to the scene of a fire outside of a Canoga Park commercial building early Monday morning. When Los Angeles Fire Department crews arrived to the scene on N. Owensmouth Avenue, they found a carport in the rear of a commercial building heavily-involved with flames. They also found fire escaping from two dumpsters in the immediate area. It took 43 LAFD firefighters 33 minutes to extinguish the flames, preventing the flames from spreading to the one-story commercial building.
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Fire Damages Unit at Housing Project in Watts
Fire damaged a unit at a two-story housing project in Watts Sunday, but no injuries were reported. The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched 28 firefighters to 2113 E. 102nd St. at 11:29 a.m., and the blaze was put out within 14 minutes of their arrival, the LAFD’s Nicholas Prange said. “Firefighters performed a primary and secondary search of the building and, thankfully, found no patients,” Prange said. “The fire unit contained a functional smoke alarm, alerting occupants to the danger in adequate time to evacuate.”
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'Stubborn' Brush Fire Breaks Out Near Chatsworth Park
Forward progress was stopped at 2 acres on a "stubborn" brush fire near Chatsworth Park Monday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. There were no immediate structures threatened, but the railroad tracks in the Santa Susana Pass were closed Monday afternoon to MetroLink and Amtrak traffic, authorities said. There was no formal evacuation, according to LAFD. The fire was reported around 2:20 p.m. at 22200 W Germain St. near Chatsworth Park, according to LAFD. Forward progress was stopped around 3:35 p.m. The railroad tracks at the Santa Susana Pass opened shortly after. The fire started at a quarter acre and grew to 2 acres.
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2 Cats killed,12 animals injured in East Hollywood pet shop fire
Two animals were killed and at least 12 others were injured in a fire at a pet shop in East Hollywood Wednesday. The fire was reported just before 6:20 p.m. at Pet Joy in a row of commercial buildings at 812 N. Virgil Ave., near Los Angeles City College, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire was extinguished by 38 firefighters by 6:43 p.m., and firefighters at the scene rescued nine dogs and five cats from inside the shop.
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Brush Fire Off Freeway Snarls Traffic in San Fernando Valley
Traffic is snarled due to a brush fire Thursday on the 101 Freeway in North Hollywood. A sigalert was issued for the southbound 101 Freeway at Vineland Avenue are blocked for an hour hour due to the brush fire. Callers reported seeing smoke in a grassy area behind a fire station.
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Firefighters extinguish East Hollywood house blaze
A fully involved fire at a vacant and boarded up home was knocked down last night in about 30 minutes. Fire crews were called at 11:47 p.m. Wednesday to the 700 block of North Alexandria Avenue where they encountered flames at the 1,738 square-foot, one-story single- family home. Firefighters were able to contain and knock down the flames without any injuries, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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Man dies while hiking at Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades
A man died Sunday while hiking at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades, authorities said. Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to 3077 Rustic Canyon Road at 11:39 a.m. in response to a hiker rescue, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Two rescuers were lowered to a location at the park and determined that the man was dead at the scene. He was estimated to be approximately 35 years old. His cause of death was not immediately available.
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Van Nuys driver dies after Tesla slams into tree in Lake Balboa
A 52-year-old man died after he lost control of the Tesla he was driving and hit a tree along the border of Lake Balboa and Encino early Saturday morning, May 28, authorities said. Los Angeles police and firefighters responded to the crash in the 17700 block of Victory Boulevard, just east of White Oak Avenue, about 12:30 a.m. and found the man trapped inside the vehicle, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. Investigators believe the man was driving at a high rate of speed westbound along Victory Boulevard, Officer B. Llamas of the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division said. The man died at the scene.
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1 person dies in crash that trapped 3 near Hansen Dam
Los Angeles firefighters used hydraulic tools to free two people trapped Friday night after a head-on crash near Hansen Dam that killed a third victim. The LA Fire Department responded about 7 p.m. to the crash scene on the 10800 block of Wentworth Drive in Sunland-Tujunga — between the Hansen Dam Recreation Area and the community of Shadow Hills. LAFD used hydraulic rescue tools to free the surviving two victims for rapid transport to the hospital, said fire department spokesman Nicholas Prange. Both were in critical condition.
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Man Critically Injured in Fall from Bridge
A man was critically injured Saturday evening when he fell 30 feet from a bridge into a wash in the Valley Glen area of Los Angeles. The fall was reported at 7:40 p.m. at 13055 W. Victory Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Nicholas Prange. “LAFD firefighters and paramedics set up a rope system with a rescue basket and retrieved the patient from the wash below,” Prange said. Paramedics took the man to a hospital in critical condition, he said. The man was described as being in his 40s.
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Pesticides Prompt Hazmat Response in Exposition Park
Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a hazardous materials situation in Exposition Park, after six employees at a legal cannabis operation experienced lung irritation when they walked into work. A number of fire trucks and vehicles could be seen at the scene, near Broadway and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. around 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Investigators determined that the site had been sprayed with pesticides overnight while the shop was closed. The six employees were medically evaluated by the LAFD at the scene. All six workers declined extra care and transportation to the hospital.
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California Fire Map & Tracker
An interactive map of wildfires burning across the Bay Area and California.
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What the drought means for this year’s wildfire season in California
California’s relentless drought and quickly-melting mountain snow mean that the state has the right conditions for yet another summer of intense wildfires. A dismal snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a dry beginning to 2022, a trend of record-breaking heat waves and an earlier snowmelt are all setting the stage for an early wildfire season that promises to bring large, explosive infernos, experts say. Sweltering under rising temperatures, California’s thirsty, dry brush transforms into fuel for wildfires that become more volatile, and burns hotter. On top of that, California saw more rain than snow last winter, which means there’s now more robust vegetation that can become wildfire fuel. So what can Californians expect from this year’s fire season? It’s going to look a lot like it did in recent years, UCI Professor Tirtha Banerjee said. “Last year’s wildfire season was pretty significant and very long and crazy. We’re gonna see a similar trend. It’s not going to improve,” Banerjee told KTLA. More than 2.5 million acres burned across California in 2021, according to data from Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. The year before, a record-shattering 4.2 million acres burned. The state got its first “gigafire” that year, the August Complex fire, which burned more than 1 million acres in Northern California. So far this year, the state has already seen 2,279 fires that together burned 10,861 acres, according to data from Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service.
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Remembering Our Fallen Brothers & Sisters |
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Engineer
Edwin B. Smith
Deceased: 5/21/2022
Appointed: 12/19/1955
Assignment: FS 27
Retired: 1/2/1981
Engineer
Darrell E. Witt
Deceased: 5/11/2022
Appointed: 1/6/1973
Assignment: FS 103
Retired: 1/17/1998
Engineer
Robert H. Roots
Deceased: 5/5/2022
Appointed: 7/2/1956
Assignment: FS 75
Retired: 8/10/1981
Engineer
Richard R. Sorensen
Deceased: 5/4/2022
Appointed: 9/23/1957
Assignment: FS 10
Retired: 1/24/1988
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Deputy Chief
Anthony E. Giordano
Deceased: 5/3/2022
Appointed: 12/14/1948
Assignment: Operations
Retired: 6/30/1977
Firefighter III
Ronald I. Mihld
Deceased: 5/1/2022
Appointed: 12/4/1971
Assignment: FS 12
Retired: 7/16/2000
Captain I
Norman Pate
Deceased: 5/1/2022
Appointed: 1/4/1976
Assignment: FS 96
Retired: 2/26/2001
Engineer
Robert S. Armstrong
Deceased: 4/27/2022
Appointed: 2/10/1968
Assignment: FS 108
Retired: 6/11/2005
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Firefighter II
Robert V. Claytor
Deceased: 4/25/2022
Appointed: 2/1/1955
Assignment: FS 79
Retired: 3/31/1982
Fire Inspector
Francis A. Stevenson
Deceased: 4/23/2022
Appointed: 5/12/1962
Assignment: Research Unit
Retired: 10/15/1980
Paramedic
Richard R. Harris
Deceased: 4/22/2022
Appointed: 1/1/1969
Assignment: Quality Assurance Unit
Retired: 7/11/1996
Engineer
Frederick A. Adler
Deceased: 4/21/2022
Appointed: 7/2/1951
Assignment: FS 8
Retired: 3/1/1978
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UFLAC’s 2021 LAFD Year In Review
UFLAC is proud to present the 2021 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 publication tells the story of our dedicated First Responders who continued to protect lives and property in Los Angeles while risking their own safety during another extraordinary year.
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In 2021, our Firefighters and Paramedics responded to more than 475,000 emergency calls for service throughout Los Angeles - an average of 1,300 calls per day. As an all-risk fire and rescue agency serving more than four million people, the LAFD is one of the busiest and most understaffed big city fire departments in the entire country. 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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