On Saturday, September 22, 2007 at 12:43 PM, 6 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 1 LAFD Rescue Ambulance, 1 Heavy Rescue, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Unit, 2 Rehab Units, 1 Helicopter, 1 Emergency Lighting Unit, 1 Tractor, 1 Command Post Unit, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 50 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel including LAFD Crew 3, assisted by Park Rangers, Police Officers, Bureau of Street Service and other municipal employees, all under the direction of LAFD Assistant Chief Daniel McCarthy, responded to a Mudslide near 6711 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills between Griffith Park and Universal City.

Firefighters arrived quickly following a period of heavy rain to find water, mud and debris overflowing a catch basin below the site of wildfire that consumed three acres of vegetation on August 24, 2006.

The uncontained water, debris and soil flowed over all lanes of a 100 yard section of Forest Lawn Drive near North Coyote Drive, covering the roadway with as much as a foot of mud and miring at least a dozen unoccupied parked vehicles.

Though there were no injuries or need for rescue, several patrons and their vehicles were prevented from departing a nearby athletic club, as the wet soil isolated them and moved onto the patios and first floor interior hallways of three buildings at the adjacent Oakwood Toluca Hills apartments.

Securing a perimeter and determining no need for rescue, Firefighters established Incident Command and coordination of the City workforce responding to the scene.

An LAFD Tractor Company arrived promptly and was soon joined by three skip loaders deployed by the Department of Recreation and Parks from nearby Griffith Park. With their well-coordinated effort, safe pathways were established to the Toluca Lake Tennis Club, as well as to the mired autos, which were moved with the assistance of an LAFD Heavy Rescue Unit.

An unspecified number of occupants from the three impacted apartment buildings accepted temporary on-site assistance from the landlord of the 1,151 unit complex.

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, including members of the newly formed LAFD Crew 3, remained on scene for nearly ten hours providing safety and support to allied agencies. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the stormwater catch basin overflowing was not formally determined by Firefighters. The status and reopening of the roadway to public access will be determined by the City's Department of Transportation and Bureau of Street Services.

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department