Los Angeles Firefighters Extinguish 62 Acre Brush Fire Above Lake View Terrace

Your Los Angeles Firefighters remained very busy battling three brush fires over an 18 hour period. Starting with a 28 acre fire above Porter Ranch, at Southern California Gas Co.'s Aliso Canyon facility. Next another San Fernando Valley fire in Granada Hills broke out. Then,  just a hour later firefighters battled the Lake View Terrace blaze.

Amid a red-flag warning and increased heat, Los Angeles firefighters responded Wednesday afternoon to a brush fire that quickly threatened homes in Lake View Terrace.

The LAFD received multiple 911 calls just after 2:30 p.m. for a fire at 11700 Terra Vista Way.

Firefighters arrived on-scene to find flames spreading rapidly up the canyon, leading to the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountain foothills, and diligently protected homes along Terra Vista Way as smoke poured down a dry hillside into the neighborhood.

Twenty homes were under a voluntary evacuation order (West of Little Tujunga/Osborne, North of Eldridge Ave, West of Terra Bella St, North of Fenton Ave), however due to firefighters aggressive actions, no homes were damaged and no one was injured.

During the firefight the temperature was 89 degrees, relative humidity was down to 9 percent, and north-to-northeast winds gusted to 26 mph.

Firefighters relentlessly battled the blaze from the ground and air. Multiple helicopters and a fix winged Super Scooper made repeated strategic water drops while crews hiked the rugged terrain to flank and pinch out the flames.

About 450 firefighters from L.A. City, County and the U.S. Forest Service responded, extinguishing 62 scorched acres in just two hours. Approximately 50 Los Angeles Police Department officers also assisted.

Four Engines and two Brush Patrols, totaling twenty firefighters, will remain on-scene through out the night mopping up hot spots and ensuring no flare-ups. Fresh crews will arrive at 8:00 AM the next morning.

The cause of the fire remains under active investigation.

Fire at Los Angeles High-Rise Senior Living Facility Hospitalizes 3

A fire broke out Monday night at a high-rise, senior living facility in the Westlake community of Los Angeles, injuring some residents.

The fire was reported at 8:44 p.m. in the Union Tower Apartments located at 455 South Union Avenue. Firefighters arrived on-scene to find a 15-story high-rise with fire showing from the fourth floor and called for additional units.

Firefighters were quickly met by multiple challenges...

Lack of Fire Protection: This building did not have sprinklers to assist holding the flames in check and there were no self closing doors to assist in the compartmentalization of the smoke and fire.Fire Extinguishment: Firefighters brought hose-lines from the area uninvolved in flames, 100' down a dark smoke filled hallway into the involved unit, compartmentalized the fire, stopped it from spreading horizontally to adjacent units or to units above and quickly extinguished the flames.
Search and Rescue: Firefighters performed a rapid systematic search for trapped victims and rescued them to safety.
Medical Component: Firefighter/Paramedics assessed, triaged, treated, and transported the injured to local hospitals.
Multiple Elderly Occupants: The Incident Commander worked with building management to determine the location of those occupants with special medical needs, particularly those non-ambulatory, and provide the necessary assistance to ensure their safety.
Evacuation: Residents above the fire (5th floor and above) were ordered to shelter-in-place, by staying behind closed doors in their apartment, and residents on the fire floor and below were calmly and quickly evacuated.
Ventilation: Firefighters worked to rapidly remove smoke and products of combustion from the occupied floors and stairwells, making the building tenable for the occupants.

Due to the aggressive work of approximately 150 firefighters, under the command of Assistant Chief Timothy Ernst, the flames were extinguished in just 42 minutes and minimal occupants were injured.

Three residents required transportation to local hospitals, a 75 y/o male, 75 y/o female, and a 80 y/o female. Two were critically burned and one suffered smoke inhalation. No firefighters were injured.
 
The cause of the fire is under active investigation by the LAFD Arson Section, and the estimated dollar loss is being tabulated.