Major Emergency Structure Fire in North Hills
Over 100 Los Angeles City firefighters extinguished a Major Emergency fire in a vacant commercial building on Tuesday evening, successfully preventing the blaze from causing significant damage to an adjacent four-story apartment complex.
At 5:43PM on January 13, 2026 the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire in the 15200 block of W Parthenia St in North Hills. The first arriving units encountered a two-story, boarded-up commercial building with heavy fire showing, exposing a large adjacent apartment building. Four additional task forces were requested and the incident upgraded to a Major Emergency structure fire.
Due to the volume of fire and compromised floors within the building, Incident Commander, Battalion Chief Scott Hilton, directed a defensive operation on the fire unit and an offensive operation to defend the exposed, four-story apartment building.
Crews deployed ladder pipes and master streams to contain the blaze. Access to the seat of the fire was restricted until a roof collapse allowed water streams to reach the interior. Simultaneously, firefighters conducted a floor-by-floor sweep of the apartment building to assist those self-evacuating and investigate for any fire extension.
Firefighter/paramedics evaluated three patients, two adult females were transported to a local hospital in fair condition for medical complaints. The 3rd adult female patient declined LAFD transport. While the apartment building did not have significant structural damage, three (of the 41) units were yellow-tagged and required the displacement of six adults, 21 children and six pet turtles. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation provided DASH buses for temporary shelter, while the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) and the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region responded to assist with food and immediate relocation needs.
The bulk of the fire was extinguished in just under two hours. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety is expected to red-tag the commercial structure as unsafe for occupancy. LAFD crews will remain on fire watch throughout the night, with LAFD Heavy Equipment Operators scheduled to being potential demolition tomorrow morning.
Per protocol for a Major Emergency Structure Fire, LAFD Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section (ACTS) is investigating the cause of the fire.
