EAST HOLLYWOOD - LAFD worked closely with LAPD force protection to strategically keep a structure fire from spreading to other units of a fourplex, while allowing officers to apprehend a barricaded subject inside the building.

LAPD notified Metro Fire Communications at 10:01 P.M. on Sunday, January 19, 2020, of a behavioral emergency for an adult male. The incident escalated when the patient barricaded himself inside one unit of a fourplex and started throwing burning contents out of a window. Burning materials were seen in the alley outside the structure, but it soon became clear that a fire was growing inside, as well.

The barricaded subject's intentions and potential for the presence of a weapon were unknown. This meant the immediate area around the building was considered a "hot zone." A wider perimeter that was deemed outside of direct and immediate danger, but had the potential to easily escalate to a hot zone due to the dynamic situation, was considered a "warm zone." As it became clear that the fire inside was growing and had the potential to spread to other units and then other structures, LAPD provided force protection for our firefighters to enter the hot zone outside the structure for temporary water application through a window. Police and firefighters worked well together to move back and forth from the warm zone to the hot zone to periodically cool off the interior of the structure enough to keep the fire in check. 

LAPD skillfully apprehended the individual, swept the area for further threats, and then gave the "All Clear" for firefighters to engage the building with typical structure fire tactics, after the additional threats had been removed from the equation. Firefighters, who had been staged with charged hose lines and other equipment ready, quickly made entry and extinguished the flames before they could spread to any of the other three units in the fourplex. 

The formerly barricaded subject was transported to the hospital by LAFD Firefighter-Paramedics. Firefighters extinguished the last of the flames at 11:26 P.M. There were no other injuries. Red Cross was notified to support the family displaced and S.A.V.E. cards were given out to help in the transition period after this fire, as their unit was completely destroyed. 

The teamwork exhibited by these officers and firefighters was a testament to the ongoing training and cooperation our departments have shared in. Many of the strategies and tactics used on this incident had been practiced before on active shooter drills. Although this was not an active shooter, firefighters moved into a dynamic situation/dangerous location with the help of LAPD force protection. The movement in and out of the hot zone at strategic intervals was seamless, and ultimately saved many surrounding families from losing their homes.