On Saturday, September 15, at 6:17 PM, 27 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 7 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Rehab Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Squad, 1 Emergency Air Unit, 2 LAFD Bulldozers with Tender, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 4 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 175 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Daniel McCarthy, responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 2840 East Olympic Boulevard in LA's Industrial Eastside south of Boyle Heights.

Firefighters arrived quickly to find thick smoke banking to street level from a 150' x 150' one-story commercial structure. Forcing entry through a trio of rolling steel security doors, Firefighters were met by heavy fire in what appeared to be five interconnected occupancies.

From atop the building's arched truss roof, Firefighters promptly determined the blaze had spread throughout the common attic of the non-fire sprinklered brick structure.

Teams of Firefighters quickly secured additional access and protected an exposed commercial structure to the west, as their colleagues worked in earnest to extend handlines into the raging fire, fed by floor-to-ceiling storage of flammable fabrics and other combustible merchandise.

Olympic Boulevard was promptly closed between Lorena and Soto Streets during the firefight, and Department of Transportation staff soon joined by Los Angeles Police Officers to manage traffic and the large but respectful crowd of onlookers, some of whom strayed from a busy freeway interchange nearby.

With high voltage power lines snapping overhead and Firefighters plans for a tenacious interior attack physically stymied by the sheer volume of fire, the Incident Commander ordered a swift transition to defensive tactics and the application of master streams.

The building began to fail within minutes of the move to defensive operations, as Firefighters brought several master streams to bear upon the flames, which were fed by the collapsing structural elements.

The fire was confined to the quintet of apparently related commercial occupancies under the common roof, and fully extinguished in just one hour and 45 minutes.

One Firefighter was later transported to White Memorial Hospital in good condition for a brief medical evaluation following his possible exposure to waterborne electric current through a hose stream. He was subsequently released to return to duty.

No other injuries were reported.

Fire loss is still being tabulated, and the legal name of the business was not immediately available.

Los Angeles Fire Department heavy equipment operators were expected to be on scene throughout the night with bulldozers to render the structure safe and move tons of smoldering debris.

The cause of this 'Major Emergency' fire remains under active investigation.