Man dies after running back inside burning Mission Hills home to retrieve personal belongings

A man died after he ran back inside a burning home in Mission Hills early Wednesday morning. The fire started inside a one-story duplex located at 10803 N. Noble Ave. and Chatsworth Street, near the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway, around 3 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. All four residents made it out of the burning home safely, before the victim ran back inside to try and grab some of his personal belongings. Authorities said the flames grew quickly and he never made it back out. Firefighters found the victim inside and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

CBSLA/LAFD

L.A. fire captain hurt in explosion at homeless encampment

A captain with the Los Angeles Fire Department was injured in a blast while responding to an encampment fire in the Manchester Square neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday. The incident occurred around 3 a.m. in the 7500 block of South Normandie Avenue. The captain was battling a debris fire at the encampment in an abandoned pedestrian tunnel that crosses Normandie Avenue when a pressurized gas cylinder, possibly an oxygen tank, exploded, LAFD spokesperson Humphrey stated in a news alert. The captain was taken to an area hospital for assessment and treatment after suffering what were described as non-life-threatening injuries.

KTLA5

Flashover burns firefighter battling Hollywood blaze that seriously injured 2

A firefighter battling a fire that left two people badly injured was also hurt when a flashover occurred inside a Hollywood home Wednesday morning. Crews responding to reports of smoke in the 1300 block of North Cherokee Avenue around 3 a.m. arrived to find the single-story home on fire. While battling the blaze, two men were found trapped behind a security gate inside the structure, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated in a news alert. Firefighters used forcible entry tools to get to the victims, who were transported to a local hospital. One of the men was said to be in grave condition, according to the fire department. The second victim was in critical condition.

KTLA5/LAFD

Reliving the Northridge earthquake 30 years later

"It was just victim, after victim, after victim." Mike Henry was one of the first LA City firefighters to respond to the Northridge Meadows apartment complex on January 17, 1994. The magnitude 6.7 earthquake woke up thousands of people in the early morning hours with strong shaking that would change the city forever. Vinnie Jenkins was also working that day with LA fire, and remembers "the most vivid moment" of rescuing a father of five, who had been operating a street sweeper at the Northridge Mall, when the parking structure collapsed on him. "We had to lift three parking structures worth of concrete to get to him," remembers Jenkins, as he shakes his head. At least 57 people died and 11,846 people in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties were treated at hospitals. Property losses were pegged at $40 billion.

Fox11

LAFD firefighters recall performing death-defying rescues after Northridge quake

Retired firefighter Tony Zar remembers vividly remembers the moment when, after a seven-hour rescue mission, survivor Salvador Pena was finally freed from 20 tons of rubble at the Northridge Fashion Center. The 6.7 magnitude Northridge earthquake had shattered the center’s parking structure, leaving Pena, a janitor, trapped in the power sweeper he was operating with both of his legs crushed by concrete. “When we finally got Salvador Pena free and up to the top where he was airlifted to the hospital that was just an incredible sight,” said Zar, on Wednesday Jan. 17. “His family was there and seeing a smile on their faces when we finally came out of the hole, it was like ‘wow, we really did something good here’.”

LA Daily News

January is Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month

Fire fighter occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty death in the fire service. At the 2023 IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, 63% of the names added to the wall were members who had died from occupational cancer. In partnership with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), the IAFF has designated January as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month to provide fire fighters the necessary tools and guidance to develop life-saving protocols for cancer prevention and to support those with a cancer diagnosis within their departments.

IAFF/FCSN

Los Angeles Firefighters Subdue Pacoima Blaze as LAPD Tackles Behavioral Emergency on Site

A blaze engulfed a Pacoima residence Wednesday night before being tamed by the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire, reported at 8:36 PM at 12411 W Osborne St, sent smoke billowing from a three-story building, as first detailed by the LAFD alert. Firefighters launched an offensive strategy to quell the flames. Chaos erupted when authorities arrived at a *two-story* townhome, not a three-story as initially reported, to find more than just a structural challenge. The LAPD encountered an individual experiencing a behavioral emergency, swiftly bringing them into custody amidst the crisis, according to the follow-up LAFD report. The fire rapidly spread through the first and second floors, commanding the attention of 46 brave firefighters. After a hard-fought 23 minutes, the crews managed a "knockdown" of the fire.

Hoodline

Green Meadows Apartment Fire Kills Dog

A fire in one apartment of a fourplex in the Green Meadows area killed a dog and left five people displaced Saturday. Firefighters just clearing a nearby emergency noticed the smoke plume at 3:31 p.m. and rushed to 10615 S. Avalon Blvd., said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. “It took the first 30 arriving LAFD personnel just 13 minutes to access, confine and fully extinguish flames in the downstairs portion of a two-story residential fourplex,” Humphrey said. Firefighters rescued six dogs from the unit of origin and were able to save five with medical care and oxygen but one dog died at the scene, Humphrey said.

MyNewsLA

Heavy Fire Engulfs Mar Vista Apartment, Hospitalizing Occupant

A woman was hospitalized due to exposure to a large amount of smoke after a fire broke out in her Mar Vista apartment Monday night, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters responded to a three-story apartment complex at 3726 S Sawtelle Blvd. at about 7:37 p.m. due to reports of heavy fire in a unit on the first floor, LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey said. The woman who lived in the unit was taken to a local hospital in fair condition after she was exposed to "copious amounts of smoke from the fire," Humphrey said.

Venice-Mar Vista Patch

Man Stricken with Smoke Inhalation from Motel Fire in Los Angeles

Fire damaged a second-story room at a motel in the Tujunga area Sunday, where a man was rushed to a hospital with smoke inhalation, authorities said. Firefighters dispatched at 10:38 a.m. to the Galaxy Motel at 7260 W. Foothill Blvd. had the fire out within 16 minutes of their arrival, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. "One male adult civilian who sustained smoke inhalation has been transported by LAFD paramedics to an area hospital in undetermined condition," the department's Brian Humphrey said.

Los Angeles Patch

Los Angeles Firefighters Battle Ferocious Blaze in Tarzana Residence

Flames and smoke engulfed a two-story home in Tarzana early this morning, drawing a rapid response from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). According to an LAFD alert, firefighters were dispatched to 6124 N Corbin Ave at 7:37 AM to battle the blaze that sent heavy smoke billowing from the residence. Upon arrival, crews quickly switched to an offensive mode to aggressively to try and knock down the flames. The LAFD has not yet provided details regarding any potential casualties or the cause of the fire. The situation, as reported on the LAFD's official website, involved substantial resources from Fire Station 93 and Battalion 17, operating within the Valley Bureau and Council District 3.

Hoodline

Los Angeles Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Blaze at Lake Balboa Cannabis Cultivation Site

Flames were doused at a Lake Balboa commercial building when Los Angeles firefighters responded to a blaze on Saturday. According to a Los Angeles Fire Department alert, smoke was visible from the one-story structure, located at 6907 N Hayvenhurst Ave, which also featured two-story portions. Official reports confirmed the team went into offensive mode to tackle the fire reported at 1:14 PM. The fire originated in a building where a cannabis cultivation operation was housed, an electrical issue seemed to have sparked causing materials to melt, filling the site with smoke. As reported by the Los Angeles Fire Department, it only took 24 minutes and a swift response by 34 firefighters to bring the fire under control.

Hoodline

2 Dogs Missing in Hollywood Fire Found by Firefighters

Firefighters found two pet dogs who went missing as a fire ravaged an apartment building in East Hollywood Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. 1545 N. Hobart Blvd., just east of Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue. It took 30 firefighters about 20 minutes to access, confine and fully extinguish the fire, which broke out in one unit of the four-story building, according to the LAFD. A man with an unspecified injury was transported to a local hospital. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters went through the building to guide several residents outside to fresh air, assist others in sheltering in place and search for the two missing dogs, firefighters said.

Hollywood Patch

3 cars burn down in South LA; LAPD checking to see if fires set by arson

Three cars – all along the same street in South Los Angeles – went up in flames and now investigators are looking to see if the fires were set on purpose. Los Angeles' police and fire departments responded to a call on East 41st Place around 2:30 a.m. Thursday. Upon arrival, crews spotted two cars burning and firefighters took down the fires. A short distance away, a van caught fire, but the owner took it down with a lawn hose. The fires are under investigation as police look to see if it was started by a possible arsonist.

Fox11

Los Angeles Firefighters Douse San Pedro Commercial Blaze in 41-Minute Operation

Fire raged through a commercial structure in San Pedro, but thanks to the fast response of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the blaze was extinguished with no injuries reported. The LAFD responded to a call at 719 S Pacific Av at around 6:33 PM yesterday, where a two-story commercial building was engulfed in heavy smoke. Firefighters switched to an offensive mode to combat the fire, detailed in an alert by the LAFD here. An intense 41-minute operation ensued, led by a team of 52 firefighters, as they fought to control the flames.

Hoodline

Firefighters battling blaze in Woodland Hills

It took firefighters just under an hour to completely control the fire, which broke out shortly after 4 p.m. in the 22100 block of W. Burbank Boulevard.

CBSLA

LAFD Knocks Down Two Fires, on Alvarado Street and Westlake Avenue

Firefighters knocked down flames that ignited in a four-vehicle carport and a two-story attic in a fourplex in Los Angeles. The fire inside the carport at 1136 S. Alvarado St. and the attic fire at 1137 1/2 South Westlake Avenue were reported at 2:48 p.m. Sunday, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. The department dispatched 62 firefighters to the two scenes and had the flames knocked down in 22 minutes, Humphrey said.

MyNewsLA

Fire Extinguished at Cypress Park House

Firefighters put out a fire at a non-injury fire at a Cypress Park house Saturday evening. The fire at 2829 N. Future Street, just east of Cypress Avenue, was reported around 9:50 p.m., according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. It took three dozen firefighters 15 minutes to extinguish the flames, containing the blaze to a single room, Prange said. Crews intended to set up blowers to evacuate the smoke out of the building, he said.

MyNewsLA

Kitchen fire damages apartment in building on Vine

Firefighters quickly extinguished a kitchen fire on Jan. 13 in a unit inside a large apartment building at 901 N. Vine St. The fire was reported at approximately 12:55 p.m. and firefighters found smoke and flames inside a third-floor unit. They confined the flames to the kitchen area of the apartment and extinguished the blaze 19 minutes after the call was received. The exact cause of the fire in the 70-unit building remains under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Beverly Press

Firefighters Knock Down Blaze at Fourplex in Westlake

Firefighters knocked down a fire Sunday at an abandoned two-story fourplex in Westlake that was built in 1900. Firefighters dispatched at 9:10 a.m. Sunday to 1539 W. Cambria St., near Seventh Street and South Union Avenue, had the blaze extinguished in just over 40 minutes of their arrival, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

MyNewsLA

Fire Damages Wilmington House

It took 37 firefighters 16 minutes Saturday to put out heavy flames that could be seen lapping through the roof of a nearly century-old Wilmington house. The fire was reported at 6:56 p.m. Saturday at 1559 N. Marine Ave., north of Pacific Coast Highway, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Brian Humphrey. The 1,046-square-foot, single-story home was built in 1927, Humphrey said.

MyNewsLA

Fire Damages Two-Story Home in Highland Park

A fire that possibly started near a space heater damaged a two-story home in Highland Park Saturday, authorities said. Firefighters dispatched at 8:51 a.m. to 115 E. Avenue 39 had the blaze out within 20 minutes of their arrival, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. “Firefighters found a two-story home with fire on the second floor and extending into the attic,” the LAFD’s Nicholas Prange said. “Crews advanced fire attack hose lines inside the structure, as ventilation crews cut holes in the roof to allow heat and smoke to escape.” The department said it took 34 firefighters to access, confine and extinguish the flames.

MyNewsLA

Multi-Vehicle Crash on 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights Sends Four to Hospital, Clogs Traffic

A chaotic scene unfolded late last night as a six-vehicle collision blocked the northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway near Esperanza Street in Boyle Heights. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the accident occurred at approximately 11:50 p.m., resulting in six individuals being assessed for injuries by emergency responders. The LAFD alert indicated a "preliminary" count of six patients at the site of the accident. Firefighters from stations including FS 25, along with multiple rescue ambulances, were dispatched to the scene where they discovered a tangled mass of vehicles.

Hoodline

Car crashes into Granada Hills garage, 2 hospitalized

Two women suffered minor injuries when they crashed into a garage in Granada Hills Sunday. The crash Sunday into the garage that was adjacent to a house at 17350W. Westbury Dr. took place just after 3 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The women were transported to a hospital in good condition, the LAFD reported. Meanwhile, the garage was set for an inspection by the LAFD's Urban Search and Rescue unit to assess and stabilize the structural integrity of the building.

Fox11

2 Injured in Hazmat Incident at Granada Hills Water Treatment Facility

Two Metropolitan Water District workers were sickened Tuesday afternoon after being exposed to a hazardous chemical, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Both workers were taken by paramedics to a nearby hospital for treatment after being exposed to a "corrosion-inhibiting product," said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters were called to the facility in the 13100 block of North Balboa Boulevard just before 12:30 p.m., said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Northridge-Chatsworth Patch

Burst pipe at Wilmington oil refinery spews petroleum mixture onto street

A broken pipe at a refinery in Wilmington sent a mix of oil, gas and water spewing into the street on Saturday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters responding to a call at the Warren Resources facility at 625 E. Anaheim Street around 1:45 p.m. found the oily mixture shooting roughly 30 feet into the air from the broken pipe and spilling into the street. Emergency personnel were able to shut down the flow and contain part of the spilled material with sandbags.

LA Times

Water main break causes minor flooding in Studio City

A burst water main caused some minor flooding in Studio City on Friday, near the 3300 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Canton Drive.

CBSLA

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

988

Events

2024 Battle of the Badges Blood Drive

During January, February and March, the LAFD, LAPD, and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department are conducting the Battle of the Badges blood donation contest, a friendly annual competition between Southern California first responders to see who can recruit the most blood donors - and we're asking you to join Team LAFD in helping save lives! This blood drive is the largest among public safety agencies in the country. Since the competition began in 2007, your local first responders have donated more than 50,000 units of blood.

LAFD

Engineer

Edward G. Gerlits

Deceased: 1/22/2024

Appointed: 3/10/1962

Assignment: FS 79

Retired: 4/25/1992

Apparatus Operator

John C. Barnes

Deceased: 1/13/2024

Appointed: 4/20/1963

Assignment: FS 98

Retired: 2/8/1979

Captain II

Richard L. Watters

Deceased: 1/11/2024

Appointed: 4/13/1968

Assignment: FS 15

Retired: 1/27/2002

Firefighter III

Nelson E. Strange

Deceased: 12/29/2023

Appointed: 6/17/1973

Assignment: FS 69

Retired: 6/30/2008

Engineer

Thomas E. Baltzer

Deceased: 12/28/2023

Appointed: 11/7/1959

Assignment: FS 95

Retired: 11/26/1989

Battalion Chief

Gary E. Rummell

Deceased: 12/25/2023

Appointed: 2/20/1960

Assignment: Battalion 9

Retired: 3/24/1994

Engineer

George L. Varnum

Deceased: 12/22/2023

Appointed: 2/1/1955

Assignment: FS 61

Retired: 2/1/1978

Engineer

Clarence R. Lindsay

Deceased: 12/20/2023

Appointed: 2/3/1958

Assignment: FS 108

Retired: 6/29/1980

Firefighter III

Thomas J. Kenyon

Deceased: 12/12/2023

Appointed: 7/22/1973

Assignment: FS 2

Retired: 8/23/2008

Firefighter III

James L. Stiglich

Deceased: 12/5/2023

Appointed: 6/4/1987

Assignment: FS 100

Retired: 6/8/2013

Fire Inspector

Paul R. Olson

Deceased: 12/1/2023

Appointed: 6/16/1955

Assignment: Building Standards Unit

Retired: 1/11/1986

Captain I

Michael G. Ziemann

Deceased: 11/23/2023

Appointed: 1/16/1965

Assignment: FS 19

Retired: 10/25/1996