On Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 1:57 PM, 20 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 1 LAFD Rescue Ambulance, 5 Helicopters, 4 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, 4 LACO Hand Crews with 3 supervisors, 1 LACO Helicopter under the direction of Assistant Chief Mark Stormes responded to a Greater Alarm Brush Fire at 24440 Bell Canyon Rd. in Woodland Hills.

Firefighters arrived to find 1/4 acres of grass and brush burning alongside the steep hills near Bell Canyon Park, just at the border of Ventura County. Although the fire was moving slow, ground crews quickly assessed the need for helicopters, as handlines were unable to reach the bulk of the fire. Water dropping helicopters were quickly called in to attack the blaze from the air, while firefighters on the ground continued to reach the head of the fire though rough terrain.

With relatively slow wind speeds being 5 mph, a humidity of 28%, and the temperature at 89 degrees, firefighters were able to knock down the fire in less than 1 hour and 48 minutes. Due to the strong efforts of 122 firefighters, the flames were completely extinguished with no surrounding homes involved.

Two firefighters were later reported to have sustained minor injuries during the fire fight, with one being transported to an area hospital for observation and another treated and released at the scene.

A total of 8 acres was consumed by this blaze with the cause being attributed to a Traffic Collision on Bell Canyon Rd.

Submitted by Devin Gales
Los Angeles Fire Department