Heavy fire and excessive storage conditions combined to create conditions which proved to be deadly for the adult, female occupant.

At 7:30 AM, Friday 8 July 2016, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 4600 block of N Farmdale Av in Valley Village. 

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a small, single family dwelling with heavy fire and excessive storage conditions which created challenges gaining entry to the structure.  Approximately 15 minutes into the fight, the roof showed signs of impending collapse and Incident Commander, Battalion Chief Mark Akahoshi make the decision to transition to a defensive operation.

Firefighters created openings in the walls to assist in applying water while hand lines were also deployed to the roof of an adjacent home.  After extinguishing the bulk of the fire, crews had to make their way in and pull contents out of the home in order to reach numerous pockets of fire contained with the debris.  It took 51 firefighters just over three hours to achieve full knockdown of the fire.

Once firefighters were able to enter the structure and begin systematically removing debris, they located the remains of the adult female occupant.  One of the aisles of contents collapsed down on her, trapping her in the fire.

The LAFD Smoke Alarm Field Education (S.A.F.E.) program executed with MySafe:LA, fire and life safety education partners of the LAFD, provided free smoke alarms with installation to homes in the neighborhood lacking functioning alarms.  If you would like assistance with smoke alarms, visit www.mysmokealarm.org.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by LAFD Arson.

Dispatched units: E260 E60 T60 RA60 RA860 E86 E278 T78 BC14 E76 E289 T89 RA78 EM14 BC5 CM42 CM41 BC10 E239 T39 EA1 AR2 HU89 UR88 AR17 AR22 AR11 T37 E237 UR88 T61 E261 E63 E7 T37 E237