Blaze Destroys Baldwin Hills Landscape Design Center
Friday, January 16, 2015
LAFD Spokesperson: Brian Humphrey
BALDWIN HILLS-
Towering flames destroyed a landscape design center in Baldwin Hills Friday evening, but thankfully caused no injury.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 7:32 PM on January 16, 2015 to 6050 West Jefferson Boulevard in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, adjacent to Culver City, where Los Angeles firefighters arrived quickly to find fire through the arched roof of a 12,300 square-foot one story garden design center.
With a massive volume of fire evident, multiple hoselines were extended as the call for additional personnel brought the first of more than one hundred additional LAFD responders, as well as five personnel in automatic aid from the nearby Culver City Fire Department.
As forcible entry was made into the well secured business of fire origin, LAFD Battalion Chief Stacy Taylor ordered those in her command to maintain a defensive posture outside the structure to protect an adjoining business and strictly limit fire spread, as signs of structural fatigue quickly became evident in the 63 year-old building.
Just 12 minutes after the first calls reporting the fire were made to 9-1-1, the structure's canopy began to give way, with full collapse of the roof just 3 minutes thereafter.
The 140 firefighters at scene, including 135 from the LAFD, held flames within the building of fire origin, fully extinguishing the blaze in just 68 minutes. Thanks to firefighter's efforts, the adjoining Castelli Art Framing to the west had only limited damage from smoke, heat and water, and was largely unscathed.
Most importantly, no injuries were reported.
Fire loss to Inner Gardens is still being tabulated. The cause of the major emergency blaze remains under active investigation.
Dispatched LAFD Units: E94 T94 E294 RA894 E43 E58 RA58 E292 T92 EM9 BC18 BC4 E62 E68 E261 E61 T61 E205 T5 E226 E26 T26 E63 T63 E263 DC22 EM14 BC9 E5 UR5 RA5 T27 E227 UR88 BC5 SQ21 HU59 T37 E237 E51 E71 E295 T95 AR2 E37 RM2 EA1 T11 E211 E15
