On Tuesday, May 31, 2005 at 3:55 PM PDT, fourteen Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, one EMS District Captain, two LAFD Rescue Ambulances, two LAFD Helicopters, four Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams as well as various LAFD support and investigative resources, all under the direction of Assistant Chief Michael Fulmis responded to a Greater Alarm High Rise Structure Fire at 6290 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

The first Companies arrived quickly to discover heavy smoke showing from the roof of the nineteen-story “Sunset Vine Tower”, a long vacant 306-foot tall high-rise office structure and once popular filming site undergoing residential conversion.

LAFD forces quickly secured control of the lobby region and stairwells of forty-two year-old building, in which many of the key fire prevention systems had been deactivated due to construction.

With detailed knowledge of the building gained during fire prevention and tactical preplan inspections, several teams of Firefighters, carrying as much as 100 pounds of equipment each, climbed 38 flights of stairs to access the rooftop of the City’s 57th tallest building, finding it well involved with fire.

As LAFD Helicopters circled overhead, Fire Attack and Support Teams established staging on the floor below the fire, optimizing a strategic assault against the well-entrenched flames.

Firefighters confined the blaze to the large equipment enclosure, extinguishing the flames in just 22 minutes. There were no injuries. Firefighters, apparently exposed to asbestos during the firefight, decontaminated their personal protective equipment and themselves following the fire.

Damage to the unoccupied building was determined to be of no monetary value, as the region scorched by flames was in the process of being demolished and renovated. The cause of the fire is categorized as accidental and is attributed to a cutting torch operation earlier in the day.


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