Fire Damages Vacant Building in Wilshire Center

On Sunday, July 26, 2009 at 6:35 PM, 7 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 2 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 2 Arson Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 52 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Daryl Arbuthnott responded to a Structure Fire at 985 South 3rd Avenue in the Wilshire Center district of Los Angeles.

Firefighters arrived quickly to find heavy smoke and fire showing from a vacant 50' x 75' one-story commercial structure, threatening an immediately adjacent building.


View Larger Pre-Fire Image. You can also click, grab & zoom the image above!
Forcing entry and performing swift vertical ventilation, firefighters extended handlines to do quick battle with flames inside the sparsely furnished building, extinguishing the fire in just 28 minutes.

The fire was confined within the structure of origin, with some exterior damage to the adjacent structure to the west.

There were no injuries.

Loss from the blaze is still being tabulated, while the cause of the fire remains under investigation.


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department