July 30, 2021
Here’s the latest news impacting Los Angeles Firefighters…
|
|
Year Later, LA Fire Captain Burned in Downtown LA Explosion Hopes His Story Can be an Inspiration
A year ago this week, Los Angeles Fire Captain Victor Aguirre was the last to leave the hospital after an explosive fire at a building in downtown LA injured him and nearly a dozen other firefighters. Hazardous materials stored in the building were unknown to the crew putting out the flames that day. "We got lucky that day that we didn't lose 11 firefighters," he said. The NBC4 I-Team talked with the captain and his family to find out details about that day, his amazing recovery and how we can all learn from his survival story.
|
|
63-Year-Old Man Killed in a Tent Fire in Westchester
A 63-year-old man who typically spent time in a tent adjacent to a single-family house in Westchester died in a fire in the tent, and an investigation was underway, authorities said Thursday. Firefighters responded at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday to the 8300 block of Stewart Avenue, near Loyola Marymount University. According to Margaret Stewart of Los Angeles Fire Department, they found a vinyl carport-style tent well involved and a yard with excessive storage conditions and heavy fire. They also heard reports the house's occupant typically spent time in the tent, Stewart said.
|
|
1 worker killed, 2 others injured after fire breaks out at building under construction in West LA
A worker was killed and two others were injured in an electrical fire that erupted at a high-rise building under construction in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West Los Angeles Thursday afternoon. The fire was reported around 12:10 p.m. in the 12100 block of West Olympic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Fire officials say rebar became electrically energized and apparently made contact with high voltage lines, sparking the blaze. Two workers were able to evacuate the building, but a third did not survive. Firefighters were able to knock down the fire in about half an hour.
|
|
Firefighters extinguish massive blaze at former supermarket building in Sun Valley
A massive fire erupted early Thursday morning at a structure that formerly housed a supermarket in Sun Valley, prompting a response from more than 100 Los Angeles firefighters. The blaze was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at an 80,000-square-foot building in the 8000 block of North Vineland Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. No injuries were immediately reported, and it was unclear if anyone was inside the single-story structure when the fire began. Firefighters initially took up defensive positions at the scene, as massive flames and smoke emanated from the building's roof, which later collapsed. The LAFD declared the incident to be a "major emergency," and arson investigators were summoned to the location in accordance with protocol, a news release said.
|
|
Firefighters Extinguish ‘Greater-Alarm’ Blaze in Vacant Downtown Church
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded Monday to a fire in a vacant two-story church located at 1742 S. Trinity St. downtown. Fire crews responded to reports of the blaze around 3:30 p.m. The fire was upgraded to “greater-alarm” status shortly after crews arrived due to two adjacent commercial buildings being threatened by the flames. LAFD was able to extinguish the fire in approximately one hour.
|
|
Simi Valley Brush Fire Backs Up 118 Freeway
Firefighters mounted an aggressive battle to stop a small brush fire burning along the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway in Simi Valley Tuesday afternoon. The blaze backed up the eastbound lanes for miles as the afternoon rush hour approached. The fire also shut down Santa Susana Pass Road, leaving commuters few alternatives. Drivers were advised to avoid the area. As of 4:20 p.m., Los Angeles County and City firefighters gained the upper hand on the blaze. Helicopters were called in to conduct water drops from above.
|
|
Man, Woman Critically Burned in LA Commercial Building Fire
A man and a woman suffered critical burns today in a greater alarm fire inside a commercial building in the Vermont Square area of Los Angeles. The blaze inside a two-story commercial building at 4220 S. Western Ave. was reported at 2:17 p.m., said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. The department dispatched 100 firefighters to battle the blaze, Stewart said. The bulk of the fire was knocked down in about 34 minutes. However, the fire resulted in the collapse of the roof and one wall and firefighters were still knocking down small pockets of flames, she continued. The injured man and woman, both believed to be in their 30s, were taken to a hospital.
|
|
East Hollywood residence destroyed in fire
Crews put out a fire that destroyed a two-story home in East Hollywood on Monday night. It took 90 firefighters about 30 minutes to put out the flames at the property located at 1342 N. Normandie Ave., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. There were multiple buildings on the property, with a two-story, craftsman style residence fully involved in fire. That residence was destroyed, LAFD said. At least two additional buildings were also exposed to the flames, and the extent of damage to those was still being evaluated.
|
|
Four Displaced After Home Is Damaged by Fire
Four people were displaced Friday after their home in Pacoima was damaged in a fire, though no one was injured. The fire was reported about 6:20 p.m. at the one-story house at 10020 El Dorado Ave., near Osborne Street and Whiteman Airport, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department Foothill Community Police Station across the street responded to the scene and evacuated the residents from the house before firefighters arrived.
|
|
Firefighters Extinguish Lake Balboa Grass Fire
Another brush fire sprang up at Lake Balboa over the weekend, charring just under two acres before firefighters managed to contain it. The fire was first reported at 12:12 p.m. Saturday afternoon near 6400 N Balboa Blvd. Los Angeles Fire Department's Margaret Stewart said a smaller fire also burst up just south of the main blaze, and was extinguished with the help of park rangers. The larger fire was contained Saturday afternoon, with less than two acres of light grass burned in the Sepulveda Basin.
|
|
Firefighters Put Out Fire in Contents of Vacant Hollywood Building
It took 41 firefighters 15 minutes to put out the burning contents on the first floor of a vacant two-story building in Hollywood Saturday evening. The fire was reported at 7:58 p.m. at 1839 N. Western Ave, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Margaret Stewart. Smoke was moderate to heavy when firefighters arrived at the building described as residential over commercial, Stewart said.
|
|
Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Blaze at Harbor Gateway Motel
Twenty-eight firefighters needed 19 minutes this morning to extinguish a fire at a motel in Harbor Gateway. Crews were called at 1:42 a.m. and found flames consuming one unit of the two-story motel at 13200 South Vermont Ave., said Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire was out at 2:01 a.m, Prange said. There were no reported injuries, and the cause was under investigation.
|
|
One dead after train strikes car in Atwater Village
A person was killed Tuesday evening when the vehicle they were in was struck by a Union Pacific train. Firefighters were called at 9:30 p.m. to 5331 San Fernando Road, near Wilson Avenue and the border with Glendale, and located the victim, who was trapped inside a vehicle, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Stewart said. The victim's age and gender were not known.
|
|
LAPD Officer, 2 Others Hurt in Tarzana Car Crash
A traffic crash in the Tarzana area Thursday morning left three people injured, including a Los Angeles Police Department officer. The crash was reported about 9:30 a.m. in the 18500 block of West Burbank Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The three people were transported for hospital treatment in fair condition, according to the LAFD. The circumstances of the two-vehicle crash were under investigation.
|
|
Pedestrian Killed by Downtown LA Metro Train
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Metro train Friday in Downtown Los Angeles. The investigation into the fatality triggered delays of up to 20 minutes on the B and D lines. Firefighters and paramedics were sent to the fatal crash at the Pershing Square Station in the 500 block of South Hill Street at about 9:45 a.m. Friday. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
|
|
Presenting UFLAC's 2020 LAFD Year in Review
On behalf of the approximately 3,400 Firefighters of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, IAFF Local 112 (UFLAC), we are proud to present the 2020 Los Angeles Fire Department Year in Review. UFLAC’s mission is to lead the way to protect and advocate for the health, safety, working conditions, wages and benefits of our members and their families. This book helps to tell the story of our dedicated First Responders who continued to protect lives and property in Los Angeles while risking their own safety during an extraordinary year. In 2020, our Firefighters and Paramedics responded to more than 444,000 emergency calls for service throughout Los Angeles - an average of 1,213 calls per day. As an all-risk fire and rescue agency serving more than four million people, the LAFD is one of the busiest fire departments in the country and we are ready to answer any call that may come our way. UFLAC is honored to help showcase the dedication and commitment demonstrated by the men and women of the LAFD. Click HERE to view the publication.
|
|
Tracking coronavirus vaccinations in California
Experts say about 85% of Americans will need to be vaccinated to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. This page tracks California’s progress toward that goal using data from state and federal authorities.
|
|
California fires are burning faster, hotter, more intensely — and getting harder to fight
The fires have burned more than 140,000 acres, from soaring mountains along the California-Nevada border to forest north of Mt. Shasta and the gateway to Yosemite. But many of 2021’s biggest blazes have one thing in common: They are burning faster and hotter than some firefighters have seen this early in the year. A winter and spring of little rain and minimal snow runoff — followed by months of unusually warm conditions and several summer heat waves — left the vegetation primed to burn fast, giving crews little time to get a handle on the flames before they explode.
|
|
California Fire Map & Tracker
An interactive map of wildfires burning across the Bay Area and California.
|
|
Ret. LAFD Captain Rick Godinez Honored Thursday as 2019 Firefighter Of The Year
After cancelling the ceremony last year, the LA City Firefighters Association celebrated its 2019 Firefighter of the Year Thursday. Captain Rick Godinez retired in April 2020 after serving 36-years with fire department across 10 different stations. During his tenure, Godinez responded to some of the biggest events in U.S history, such as the 911 attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake among others. “I get asked many times, ‘You know, Rick, do you miss the LAFD?’ and the answer is yes, a resounding yes, absolutely. This was my dream job for over 35 years and I revered it. It was what I always wanted to do with my life and I feel so lucky. It was such a fulfilling career for me, and it exceeded all of my expectations,” Godinez told the assembled crowd.
|
|
Remembering Our Fallen Brothers & Sisters |
|
Firefighter III
Henry A. Munoz (Active Duty)
Deceased: 7/22/2021
Appointed: 5/21/2001
Assignment: FS 107
Engineer
Gary L. Kahler
Deceased: 7/22/2021
Appointed: 4/17/1971
Assignment: FS 23
Retired: 7/12/2008
Fireman
Alexander Delianedis
Deceased: 7/13/2021
Appointed: 7/2/1956
Assignment: FS 56
Retired: 12/5/1988
Captain II
Charles W. Casper
Deceased: 7/9/2021
Appointed: 4/1/1957
Assignment: FS 28
Retired: 4/1/2007
|
|
Engineer
Robert G. Parmelee
Deceased: 7/1/2021
Appointed: 12/19/1955
Assignment: FS 37
Retired: 9/10/1981
Fireman
Paul J. De La Garrigue
Deceased: 7/1/2021
Appointed: 1/2/1962
Assignment: FS 63
Retired: 6/29/1982
Captain
Reginald Ballard
Deceased: 6/30/2021
Appointed: 7/12/1949
Assignment: FS 81
Retired: 5/1/1978
Battalion Chief
William D. Lilly
Deceased: 6/29/2021
Appointed: 4/20/1963
Assignment: Battalion 9
Retired: 10/19/1993
|
|
Captain
Benny J. Holder
Deceased: 6/24/2021
Appointed: 8/29/1964
Assignment: Rescue Maintenance
Retired: 10/7/1986
Firefighter II
Ronald E. Hodge
Deceased: 6/12/2021
Appointed: 3/16/1962
Assignment: Supply & Maintenance
Retired: 8/10/1986
Captain I
Thomas J. Crowley
Deceased: 6/12/2021
Appointed: 4/1/1973
Assignment: FS 108
Retired: 7/22/2004
Engineer
Benedict R. Napiorkowski
Deceased: 6/8/2021
Appointed: 3/16/1948
Assignment: FS 97
Retired: 8/31/1969
|
|
|
|
UFLAC’s 2020 LAFD
Year In Review
On behalf of the approximately 3,400 Firefighters of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, IAFF Local 112 (UFLAC), we are proud to present the 2020 Los Angeles Fire Department Year in Review. UFLAC’s mission is to lead the way to protect and advocate for the health, safety, working conditions, wages and benefits of our members and their families. This book helps to tell the story of our dedicated First Responders who continued to protect lives and property in Los Angeles while risking their own safety during an extraordinary year.
|
|
In 2020, our Firefighters and Paramedics responded to more than 444,000 emergency calls for service throughout Los Angeles - an average of 1,213 calls per day. As an all-risk fire and rescue agency serving more than four million people, the LAFD is one of the busiest fire departments in the country and we are ready to answer any call that may come our way. UFLAC is honored to help showcase the dedication and commitment demonstrated by the men and women of the LAFD. Click HERE to view the publication.
|
|
About UFLAC: Since 1918, UFLAC has been the labor organization of the proud men and women that serve as firefighters and emergency medical responders protecting the City of Los Angeles. The members of the Los Angeles Fire Department rely on UFLAC to focus on the wellbeing and safety of those that protect the lives of others. For more information, visit www.uflac.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
