West Hills Fire Takes Two Lives
Tragedy struck in West Hills today when two people died in a converted garage fire.
At 10:04AM on February 3, 2016, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 22500 W Vanowen St. With smoke visible behind the house, firefighters made their way around to find a detached garage well involved with fire. Under the command of LAFD Valley Bureau Assistant Chief Greg Reynar, 32 firefighters extinguished the fire in just 17 minutes. Sadly, while conducting a search inside the occupancy, firefighters discovered the bodies of two victims.
We urge all Angelenos to take this loss of life as a stark reminder of the importance of having working smoke alarms in your home. It is not yet known if this converted garage had smoke alarms but in most cases, they do not. Your LAFD is committed to continuing to raise awareness and provide education on the life-saving value of smoke alarms.
The Smoke Alarm Field Education (S.A.F.E.) program deployed with the LAFD supporting crews from our public education partners, MySafe:LA while they canvassed the neighborhood. A total of 53 free smoke alarms were installed in surrounding homes. If you need assistance with a free (installation included) smoke alarm, please schedule an appointment at www.mysmokealarm.org.
And please remember, if you hear the 'chirp' it's time for a new battery.
Dispatched units: E305 T105 RA105 E72 RA72 E106 E296 T96 EM10 BC10 E105 EM17 RA106 AR2 AR11 BC17 CM42 RT83 RA105 AR17 E39 E93
