On Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 10:32 AM, 7 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 13 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Assistant Chief Daryl Arbuthnott responded to a Hazardous Materials Investigation at 1530 South Olive Street in the South Park area of Downtown.

Firefighters arrived to a five-story modern building over parking, attached to a smaller two-story building, to investigate a smell of an unusual odor. Some individuals inside this medical clinic stated the odor smelled similar to natural gas. With six persons from the premises initially complaining of generalized sickness, the medical facility doing business as Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center, wisely began its own evacuation of the 25 year-old building. First arriving firefighters immediately extracted and isolated the ill, while summoning an LAFD Hazardous Materials Team.

LAFD HazMat experts donned protective gear as their colleagues commenced a detailed medical assessment on the growing number of patients. A total of 75 firefighters secured the scene, ensured the ventilation systems were shut down and that there was no immediate life-threatening hazard in either of the two buildings. Firefighter / Paramedics rendered medical aid to a total of 18 patients, 17 of which were transported to various local hospitals in stable condition. Medical complaints of most patients were non-life-threatening generalized sickness, such as nausea and weakness.

Great care was taken by Los Angeles Fire Department's extensively trained and equipped HazMat team, whom remained on-scene for over two and a half hours to safely determine that there was no serious threat or escalating hazard. Though the odor dissipated and its source was undetermined, a small amount of Mercaptan, which is added to natural gas to provide its disagreeable odor, was detected in the area.

Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - LAFD Haz-Mat Investigates Odor That Hospitalizes 17

On Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 7:15 PM, 11 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 5 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 4 Arson Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Assistant Chief David Yamahata responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 528 E. Washington Bl. in Washington Blvd Corridor.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming out from a Church in a local neighborhood just outside downtown Los Angeles. A large column of smoke and flames were visible from the street surrounding the incident, with a school and local businesses just a stone throw away. As fire teams mounted a strategy, a significant amount of the flames had to be suppressed before the initial fire attack team could enter the building.

Roof teams quickly made their way up ladders to the top of the structure to cut ventilation holes to release the smoke and super heated gases. Fire crews aggressively advanced hose-lines, to begin extinguishing the flames, but were immediately met with an additional challenge of protecting adjacent structure from the heat. The fire consumed the attic of the church, causing roof compromise and great concerned for the safety of all the firefighters. The Incident Commander ordered all members to transition into a defensive exterior fire fight, but was soon called right back in to an offensive attack.

Two single family dwellings caught fire and posed more of a workload for all personnel at the scene. Due to the quick and decisive work, both adjacent structures received very little fire damage. A nearby blue line track had to be shut down during the entire fire operation to ensure the safety of all those at the scene.

It took approximately 80 firefighters just 41 minutes to achieve a knock down without injury. No civilians were reported to have been in either one of the buildings at the time of the incident. There were no injuries to any of the firefighters. Two adults and three children were displaced, as The American Red Cross was called in for assistance.

The cause of this fire will be under an active investigation by Los Angeles Fire Department Arson Investigators, as well as the multi-agency House of Worship Task Force.


UPDATE
An investigation was conducted by the House of Worship Arson Taskforce, which includes (LAFD, LAPD, ATF, and FBI). Subsequently a Ricardo Aguilar Martinez was arrested the next day and charged with two counts of arson. Mr. Martinez accepted a plea agreement and was convicted on one count of arson 451 (b) PC and was sentence to three years in State Prison.  Upon his release from prison, Martinez must register as a convicted arsonist.


Submitted by Devin Gales & Erik Scott, Spokesmen
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - Church Caught Ablaze Along The Washington Blvd Corridor

On Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 1:18 PM, 13 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 6 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Kwame Cooper responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 1609 South Oak Street in the Pico Union area.

Firefighters arrived on scene within three minutes to find a two-story four-plex with heavy fire showing. Additional personnel were summoned to provide a swift and well-coordinated attack on the flames. An aggressive entry was made into the residence with hose-lines, while others ascended ladders to the tiled roof and performed vertical ventilation.

Eighty-six Firefighters extinguished the blaze in 31 minutes and prevented any damage to nearby structures. No one was injured in this fire, although a total of ten persons, including 6 adults and 4 children were displaced. Those ten individuals were provided temporary shelter and disaster assistance by volunteers from the American Red Cross.

This devastating fire resulted from a five year old girl and a four year old boy that were playing with matches. Many are surprised to learn that the leading causes of fire deaths for children is from playing with matches and lighters. The Los Angeles Fire Department along with our friends at the U.S. Fire Administration would like to stress the following safety tips:

• Store matches and lighters out of children's reach and sight.
• When a child is curious about fire, calmly and firmly explain that matches and lighters are tools for only adults.
• In addition, instruct toddlers to tell you when they find a match or lighters.
• Please never use matches or lighters as amusement for your children. They may imitate your actions.

The dollar loss to the 88-year old residence is still being tabulated.

Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - Playing with Matches Causes Devastating Fire

Investigators from the Los Angeles Fire Department's Arson/Counter-Terrorism Section have released dramatic unedited video of vandals and arsonists attacking a taxi in Los Angeles following the June 17, 2010 NBA Finals.

If you have information regarding those seen in this troubling video - especially the person(s) igniting and stoking the spread of flame, please call the LAFD Arson/Counter-Terrorism Section directly at (213) 485-6095.

Those with surveillance camera footage or personal camera and cellphone video of this and other acts of arson are encouraged to call LAFD Investigators.

You can help: Share this by e-mail, post a link via social media or embed the video (and our request) on your Facebook page, website or blog.

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - LAFD Investigators Release Dramatic Arson Video

On Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 3:32 PM, 5 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 17 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 3 LAFD Brush Patrol Units, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 68 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Terry Manning, gathered for a Special Event Standby near the Staples Center arena at 1111 South Figueroa Street in the Convention Center District of Los Angeles.

In the seventh and decisive game of the NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers emerged victorious against the Boston Celtics.

In the 3 hours that followed the game, 68 strategically deployed Los Angeles Firefighters responded to 37 incidents within a one-half mile tactical area surrounding Staples Center.

LAFD incidents included 15 rubbish fires, 1 vegetation fire, three vehicle fires and 18 medical aid requests for persons ill or injured. A total of 8 persons were taken by Fire Department ambulance to area hospitals.

The age, gender, condition and affiliation of patients, as well as the circumstances of their illness and/or injuries was not immediately available.

The lawless behavior of some celebrants following the game remains under investigation by Los Angeles Police Department officials.


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - LAFD Battles Fire and Renders Aid Following Lakers Victory

On Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 4:19 AM, 15 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 7 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Unit, 1 Rehab Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 2 Arson Units, 3 EMS Battalion Captains, 1 Heavy Equipment Team including 3 Bulldozers, 5 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 119 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief David Yamahata, responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 2020 South Main Street in the Washington Boulevard Corridor south of downtown Los Angeles.

Summoned by a passerby, Los Angeles Firefighters arrived quickly to find a three-story building comprised of a two-story hotel over commercial units that was "under construction" and well involved with fire.

Varying degrees of construction, including raw lumber, open conduits and routine construction debris, allowed the fire to spread rapidly and gain a stubborn foothold as Firefighters tackled the flames.

Firefighters utilized Rotary saws to cut through metal fences in order to gain access around the yet to be occupied building. A bold defensive operation commenced against a well-entrenched fire using heavy-streams such as Ladder-pipes capable of spraying up to 1,000 gallons per minute.

The fire was confined to the structure of origin and extinguished in just 45 minutes and no injuries were reported.

Loss from the fire is $600,000 (structure only, no contents). The cause of this early morning blaze remains under active investigation.

(photos)

Submitted by Brian Humphrey & Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - 3-Story Building Under Construction Consumed By Fire

On Friday, September 18, 2009 at 0:27 AM, 11 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Rehab Unit, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Greg Gibson responded to a Structure Fire at 1320 South Main Street in the area of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Firefighters arrived quickly to find heavy smoke and fire showing through the roof from an unoccupied, 50’ x 100’, three-story commercial building. Swiftly extending handlines, firefighters did fierce battle with the blaze. Due to the heavy fire load and partial structural collapse of the roof, fire crews were forced to go into a defensive mode. Firefighters attacked the fire with heavy streams from ladderpipes, as well as handlines from the street.
Firefighters worked diligently to prevent the spread of fire to any of the surrounding structures. Thanks to the exhausting efforts of the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department the blaze was contained in just one hour and 30 minutes. Extensive overhauling of the site was initiated, with several companies remaining on scene to extinguish the persistent hot spots. The cause of this fire remains under investigation and the monetary loss is still being tabulated.

Submitted by Melissa Kelley
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - Large Blaze Erupts Near Convention Center

On Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 7:00 PM, 17 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Rehab Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 3 Heavy Equipment Operators, 5 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 122 Los Angeles Firefighters under the direction of Assistant Chief Richard Warford, responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 1820 South Grand Avenue in the Washington Boulevard Corridor south of the Fashion District near downtown Los Angeles.

Firefighters arrived quickly to find smoke showing from a pre-1933 two-story industrial building. Forcing entry through rolling steel doors of the unreinforced masonry structure, firefighters encountered heavy fire throughout the interior of the 6,250 square-foot non-fire sprinklered building.

With flammable baled and boxed textiles stored as high as ten feet - and burning across the warehouse, firefighters boldly attacked the flames with handlines, sparing three offices on the second floor and preventing the intense fire from spreading to a movie rental business to the north.

The blaze was extinguished in just 23 minutes.

During emergency operations that included breaching and removing sections of the burning roof with hand tools, one Los Angeles Firefighter sustained a significant but non-life threatening facial laceration. He was taken to California Hospital Medical Center for emergency wound care, before being released to remain off-duty.

No other injuries were reported.

With tons of smoldering textiles remaining within the confines of the 82 year-old building, Firefighter/Specialists certified in heavy equipment operation brought LAFD tractors to the scene to assist in the painstaking overhaul and complete extinguishment of debris, an effort that took nearly 11 hours.

Preliminary loss to "West Coast Jobbers, Inc.", a textile and clothing firm, has been estimated at $250,000 ($200,000 structure & $50,000 contents).

The cause of this fire remains under investigation.


(photos)

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

READ MORE - Firefighter Injured Quelling Downtown L.A. Blaze