LAFD Greater Alarm

 On Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 3:14 AM, 15 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 4 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Assistant Chief Richard Warford responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 5170 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. Firefighters were called to a what appeared to be a two story non-sprinklered commercial building with heavy smoke and no fire visible on the first or second floor. The smoke was originally reported by civilians at a 24 hour Gym next door to the incident. The first arriving fire crews initiated forcible entry and fire attack. As they took handlines into the structure, they later discovered that the building had a third story in the rear not visible from the front.Fire attack teams searched for the origin of the smoke and quickly found that the fire had run the walls up to the third floor. Flames extended to the attic, and were now visible to the roof teams cutting ventilation holes above.The bulk of the blaze was soon discovered there after, as both interior attack teams and roof teams continued a coordinated effort to extinguish the fire. Once the origin was found,108 firefighters made quick work in knocking down the flames in less than one hour, saving a good portion of the building.The establishment was doing business as a medical supply shop with offices and telemarketing on the above floors.There were no civilians in the structure at the time, and no firefighters were injured during the emergency operations. Although Fire Department Investigators were summoned, there is no immediate cause of the early morning blaze.

All Photos by EPN-564