Fire Consumes Massive Home Under Construction in Encino
It took three hours of relentless firefighting to extinguish flames Friday afternoon, when fire swept through a massive San Fernando Valley home in the midst of major construction.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned by a neighbor's 9-1-1 call at 2:43 PM on December 22, 2023, reporting a structure fire near the intersection of High Knoll Road and Royal Crest Place in the foothills of Encino.
Firefighters arrived quickly to find heavy smoke and fire showing from the second floor of a 28,000 square foot three-story single family residence under construction at 15837 Royal Oak Drive, with welcome word that all construction workers had safely evacuated the scaffolding surrounded wood frame structure.
With a call for additional resources, including LAFD helicopters for aerial reconnaissance and command support, first arriving firefighters began a bold defense to limit fire spread at what would soon become a major emergency blaze.
More than 130 City of Los Angeles firefighters under the command of Assistant Chief Dean Zipperman took just three hours to contain and extinguish the flames, confining the fire to the structure of origin.
No injuries were reported.
Monetary loss from the blaze is still being tabulated. The cause of the fire remains under active investigation.
