Greater Alarm Fire at Auto Recycling Yard

On Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 1:37 PM, 12 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 2 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, 2 Foam Tenders, and 2 Bull dozers under the direction of Assistant Chief Ralph Terrazas responded to a fire at 11201 West Pendleton Street in Sun Valley.

The first arriving engine saw a large, black plume of smoke and immediately requested additional firefighters to be dispatched. Firefighters entered a Pick Your Part auto recycling center and made their way through the large 193,642 square-foot lot. They found a 75’ by 50’ debris pile of trash, wood, tires and used auto parts, stacked 20’ high, which was contained on three sides by a metal fence.

Firefighters quickly deployed hand-lines and made an aggressive attack on the blaze. The fire hydrant was a considerable distance from the source of fire therefore a water shuttle operation was started. This allows the firefighters at the end of the hose to continue to spray water and foam without interruption, while multiple fire engines fill up with water from the hydrant and shuttle it back.

Due to the quick action of 77 firefighters and because of the fortunate metal wall around the debris, the blaze did not spread. The fire was extinguished in one hour and 53 minutes. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

The fire was started when a skip-loader tractor, used to move rubbish into the 75’ by 50’ containment area, created a spark which ignited the trash. The dollar loss was zero.

Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman

Los Angeles Fire Department