On Monday, June 4, 2007 at 9:26 PM, 10 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 3 EMS Battalion Captains, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team and DOT, all under the direction of Battalion Chief Jack Wise responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 3201 S. San Pedro St. in the South Los Angeles/Newton area.

The look on the faces at the OCD Dispatch center said it all when the call for help came over the radio. "This is LAPD airship requesting resources for a structure fire in two, 1 story commercials, 25 foot by 150 foot, with fire showing through the roof." Can you feel the palms getting all sweaty, muscles tightening and adrenaline starting to get the old heart pumping?

On arrival, Fire Department resources recognized the compromised roof of the 25 foot by 75 foot structure and quickly initiated forcible entry, opening all access points for the aggressive use of hand lines to attack the fire. The only exposure was a one story, Type IV metal clad building used for storage, that suffered smoke and heat damage to its contents. It took the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department only 14 minutes to gain control of the blaze.

The business, Botanica Store Toribio, suffered extensive content damage. The business held candles, religious artifacts and exotic birds. Six large birds did not survive the fire. The cause of the fire is undetermined and the dollar loss was estimated at approximately $150,000 ($50,000 structure, and $100,000 contents).

Thanks PD. Now you know how we feel when we see a lot of the red stuff!

Submitted by d'Lisa Davies
Los Angeles Fire Department