On Saturday, December 11,2010 at 9:06 AM,4 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters,1 LAFD Rescue Ambulance,1 EMS Battalion Captain,2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, under the direction of Battalion Chief Robert Willcox responded to a Structure Fire at 19016 W. Nashville St. in Porter Ranch.

Firefighters arrived to find a single-family home with heavy smoke showing. An aggressive attack on the fire, combined with vertical ventilation was implemented to confine the fire to a rear room in the structure. An 85 year old male resident who excited the home, was injured after attempting to extinguish the flame on his own. The man was treated and transported to an area hospital and is listed in stable condition.

During the fire fight and a simultaneous search throughout the structure, firefighters discovered and rescued five cats from inside the house. Having been exposed to the thick toxic smoke, four were brought out lifeless, with an additional having breathing problems.

Firefighters quickly went into action sparing no time to provide supplemental oxygen in an effort to revive the animals. Happily all five souls survived and were transferred to the custody of Animal Control Officers.

The occupant's daughter, who had reached the scene, expressed her gratitude in that these articles and collectibles were family treasures and many were irreplaceable , both in dollar amount and personal value.

The estimated dollar loss for this incident is $250.000 ($150.000 structure & $75.000 content). The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Submitted by Devin Gales, Spokesman

Los Angeles Fire Department