Apartment Building Evacuated as Local Business Burns

On Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 4:00 AM, 15 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 5 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 3 EMS Battalion Captains, 6 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, 1 CERT Coordinator, DOT, DWP and the Red Cross, under the direction of Battalion Chief Rudy Hill responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 1651 N. Murchison St. in the Hillside Village/University Hills area.

Firefighters responding to a reported structure fire, saw a huge "loom up", verifying the fire dispatch. The first arriving Firefighters on scene found a 1 story, commercial building with heavy smoke and fire showing through the roof of the structure. The 75 foot by 150 foot building would pose an access problem to the "C" side of the building, with a partially collapsed perimeter fence and downed high tension wires, where an apartment building was a potential exposure. Additional companies were requested and arrived quickly, having just completed a greater alarm structure fire not far away.

Firefighters began an ambitious interior attack with 2-1/2 inch hand lines and portable monitors in an attempt to gain control of the early morning blaze. 18 minutes into the firefight, the IC called for the withdrawal of all interior firefighting handlines and converting to a defensive posture with master stream appliances. The apartment building on the "C" side of the involved structure began to smoke at the eaves and approximately 100 residents were promptly evacuated from the occupancy.

It took 115 Firefighters 1 hour and 47 minutes to call a knockdown on this fire. There were no injuries to civilians or Firefighters. The business, Plastic Importer, was a distribution hub for plastics. The cause and dollar loss estimate are undetermined until the completion of the fire investigation.

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Submitted by d'Lisa Davies
Los Angeles Fire Department