On Monday, October 17, 2005, at 1:53 A.M. PDT, nineteen companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, one Deputy Chief, one Assistant Chief Officer Command Team, six Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, one Battalion EMS Supervisor, nine LAFD Rescue Ambulances, two Foam Tenders, three Water Tenders (Glendale, LA Fire, & Park Rangers), additional LAFD support personnel, fire resources from Glendale Fire Department, and other state, county and local agencies under the direction of Assistant Chief Alfred Hernandez, responded to a petroleum tanker fire on the North Bound 5 Freeway at the 134 Freeway near Griffith Park.

First units on the scene reported a petroleum fuel Tank Truck with a Two Axle Tank Trailer well involved with fire exposing trees and vegetation.

Firefighters using handlines with water and foam aggressively attacked the petroleum fire and the fire in the vegetation to mitigate an expanding incident.

Due to the location of the tanker fire on the freeway, Firefighters quickly set up a water shuttle operation to ensure a continued supply of water and foam to extinguish the fire and abate the hazard.

The fire was extinguished in thirty-six minutes.

To prevent the petroleum product from entering the storm drains and subsequently entering the Los Angeles River, Firefighters used sand to block the drains and used specialized equipment to take samples and monitor the explosive levels of the run-off.

One fatality from the tanker vehicle was reported.

A Burbank Airport Foam Tender responding into the incident overturned on the freeway. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the incident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

Submitted by Jim Wells, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department