News

Major Emergency Commercial Fire in Downtown

Monday, March 13, 2017
Defensive operation with heavy streams
Firefighters waged a two hour battle with master streams to gain the upper hand
Photo Credits: Creative Commons Licensed For Your Use: LAFD Photo | Jorge Arellano
LOS ANGELES-
 
A fierce battle ensued in a Downtown Los Angeles commercial fire where firefighters prevented a massive blaze from consuming multiple businesses.
 
At 6:32PM, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to 815 S Central Av to find a 6,000 square-foot one story, L-shaped commercial building with heavy fire showing through the roof.
Conditions quickly dictated a transition to defensive operations and firefighters rapidly employed ladder pipes, portable monitors and 2 ½ inch hand lines, attacking the fire from all angles.  
 
 
The open building housed multiple vendors and contained large, bulky storage which created a heavy fire load, driving the intense flames.  A large quantity of chili peppers burning in the structure added an irritant to the smoke; yet another factor for the crews to face.  While the bulk of the fire was contained in just over an hour, the fire extended into the attic, camping out in locations difficult to reach with the exterior water application.  
 
Over 190 firefighters, led by Deputy Chief Daren Palacios, waged battle for nearly two hours before gaining the upper hand.  Firefighters contained the flames to the unit of origin and protected adjacent businesses from harm.  
Once the bulk of the fire was extinguished, demobilization began and some units were released.  Firefighters remained on the incident throughout the evening to continue addressing hot spots and ensure the safety of the community.
 
The cause of the fire is under investigation and the dollar loss is being tabulated.  No injuries were reported.
 
(Lower photo © John Conkle)
 
 
Units dispatched: E9  T9  RA9  RA809  E17  E10  T10  E210  SQ21  BC1  BC11  E4  RA209  RA209  CM22  RA17  RA10  E209  E14  E203  T3  E235  T35  E25  T11  E211  E201  T1  EM1  BC13  BC18  UR3  RA803  HR56  E5  UR88  BC5  E3  SU2  EA1  RA3  RA13  EM11  EM13  BC14  BC2  E233  T33  AR1  E11  E12  E46  E94  E226  T26  E260  T60  E26  HU59  E95  SQ95  T95  E295  RA95  T21  E221  SQ95  E202  T2  E27  CM31  E89  E15  E288  T88  E215  T15  LD1  LD2  TP3  DT1  CM21  
 
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