On Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 5:09 AM, 5 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 3 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit and 1 Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 34 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Battalion Chief Ron Leydecker, responded to a Structure Fire with Civilian Injuries at 3712 South Meier Street in Mar Vista.

Firefighters arrived quickly to discover a neighbor assisting a 43 year-old female from a one-story single family home with the front well involved with fire.

With word that others remained trapped, firefighters commenced the successful rescue of an 11 year-old girl and a non-breathing 40 year-old male from the smoke charged 1,044 square-foot residence.

A team of LAFD Paramedics assisted the critically injured man, while their colleagues treated the lesser-injured girl and woman who both suffered from minor burns and smoke exposure. All three were taken by ambulance to Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.

Swiftly extending hand-lines and performing vertical ventilation, firefighters fiercely battled the blaze preventing the spread to near by residences and extinguishing it in just 26 minutes.

A Smoke Alarm was present in the home, but its functional status and role in alerting occupants could not be immediately determined.

Though the building featured legally compliant window security bars equipped with internal release, the woman related challenge in activating them for egress.

The Los Angeles Fire Department along with other Fire-Safety organizations would like to remind citizens that Smoke Alarms are critical for the early detection of a fire in your home and could mean the difference between life and death. There should be a smoke alarm on every level of the home, in hallways near sleeping areas, and inside bedrooms. Change all of your Smoke Alarm batteries when you change your clocks back to Standard Time on November 1, 2010.

While bars on windows do provide security, if they are not working properly they can prevent escape from a deadly fire. These quick release devices should be easy to open and it is imperative they are maintained. Families must plan and practice escape routes while remembering, "Once Out, Stay Out".

The 83-year old home was not equipped with fire sprinklers.

Monetary loss from the fire is currently being tabulated and the cause of this early morning blaze remains under active investigation.

Submitted by Brian Humphrey and Erik Scott, Spokesmen
Los Angeles Fire Department