Firefighters Extinguish Difficult Commercial Building Fire in Van Nuys

On Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 9:23 PM, 12 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Unit, 4 Hazardous Materials Teams, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 4 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, Department of Transportation, LAPD, Building & Safety, and 1 Rehab Air Tender under the direction of Assistant Chief Jeffery S. Mottram responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 14435 West Sherman Way in Van Nuys.

Firefighters arrived to find a large, two-story strip-mall with smoke showing from the roof. The 300' X 25' building contained multiple individual business that were closed for the evening.

Firefighters made forcible entry through glass doors into the building to allow Fire Attack teams inside. Simultaneously, Firefighters swiftly took to the lightweight panelized roof to perform vertical ventilation of intense heat and smoke.

Handlines were rapidly deployed inside and a search began to find the source of the smoke, however it proved to be a challenge. Flames were located in the walls on the second floor, toward the rear of the building. Fire discreetly climbed up the walls and viciously spread into a common attic space.

The first arriving 75 firefighters extinguished the bulk of the fire in 34 minutes. However the coordinated effort of 100 firefighters battled continual flare-ups in various locations for over two hours.

No civilians were injured. One firefighter suffered a minor hand injury and was transported to a local hospital in good condition.

Individuals from Building and Safety along with LAFD's Urban Search and Rescue Team evaluated the building for structural stability.

The cause of the fire remains under active investigation, and the dollar loss is still being tabulated.

(photos)

Submitted by Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department