Firefighters Battled and Saved Downtown Building
An aggressive, coordinated fire attack combining vertical ventilation with interior firefighting prevented the total loss of a two story commercial building in Downtown Los Angeles.
At 6:41AM on Friday, February 18, 2022 the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 630 S San Pedro Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
The first arriving fire companies reported heavy smoke showing from a two story, commercial building, doing business as 'ABC Toys', and immediately requested additional resources.
While truck companies headed to the roof for ventilation efforts, firefighters conducted forcible entry to ensure all portals of entry/exit were open and an interior fire attack deployed. Crews quickly encountered fire on the first floor and knocked it back. However, the blaze was already on the 2nd floor so they continued up to search out the seat of the fire.
With heavy fire burning through the ventilation holes cut into the roof, firefighters knew there was a well-established attic fire. Interior fire attack continued to make their way up through the 2nd floor, battling back flames as they accessed the attic and made a direct attack on the blaze.
In just 43 minutes over 100 firefighters, working under the leadership of Assistant Chief Antoine McKnight, extinguished the fire with no injuries reported. Their dedicated efforts and skilled work held the fire to the building of origin, defending the adjoining business from damage and preventing a total loss of the structure.
In accordance with protocol for a Major Emergency structure fire, LAFD Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section (ACTS) is investigating the cause of the fire.
