On Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 6:43 AM, 10 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 3 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 2 Arson Units, 1 Rehab Unit, 2 Helicopters, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 71 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, as well as units from the Santa Monica Fire Department, all under the direction of Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Curt Klafta, responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 766 North Kingman Avenue in the City of Santa Monica.

Summoned by a cell phone caller to an address in the City of Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades, LAFD crews were quickly joined in Automatic Aid by responders from the Santa Monica Fire Department in battling flames that had taken hold of a combination basement and crawl space below a three-story hillside home, spreading upward in walls to ignite eaves and an accumulation of dead leaves on the roof.

Los Angeles Firefighters swiftly identified two occupants with minor medical complaints who had exited the home prior to their arrival. The first person declined their treatment and the second quickly departed the scene prior to medical assessment.

It took Los Angeles and Santa Monica firefighters 77 minutes to fully extinguish the stubborn blaze, and no other injuries were reported.

Following the knockdown of flames, an impromptu site survey by fire and law enforcement officials determined the burnt home to be wholly within the city limits of Santa Monica.

As such, the fire investigation, including loss and cause determination, as well as all public and media inquiries related to the fire will be handled the Santa Monica Fire Department and Santa Monica Police Department.

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department