LOS ANGELES — On Thursday, July 5, 2007 at 7:21 PM, 13 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Squad, 1 Helicopter, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 98 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Terrance Manning, responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 1308 Calumet Avenue in Angelino Heights.
Firefighters arrived quickly to discover heavy smoke and fire showing from the second floor of a two-story Victorian-era residential structure, with flames and wind-driven embers endangering two adjacent homes.
Assuring that both elderly female occupants had exited their burning home unscathed, Firefighters entered the 3,203 square-foot residence to immediately encounter heavy storage throughout, especially in the converted attic, which was densely packed with personal belongings.
The massive amount of storage, such as mattresses stacked firmly against the dormer windows, prevented both Firefighter entry and hosestream penetration - and significantly fed the well-entrenched fire, which produced smoke visible across the Los Angeles basin, and notable to those watching baseball at nearby Dodger Stadium.
34-minutes into a relentless interior fire attack with multiple handlines, the Incident Commander noted structural compromise, and ordered a well-coordinated transition to defensive operations before a final assault was made on the fire.
Despite heavy flames in pack-rat conditions, with fire spread enhanced by the balloon-frame construction typical of the era, Firefighters were able to confine the blaze to the structure of origin, with only superficial damage to nearby homes. They extinguished the flames in just 71 minutes.
No injuries were reported.
The presence or functional status of smoke alarms within the building at the time of the fire could not be immediately determined. The home was not equipped with fire sprinklers.
The two ladies displaced by the fire were quickly embraced by caring neighbors, who sought to provide for their immediate needs. The American Red Cross was contacted to offer the women temporary shelter.
Monetary loss to the 117 year-old Eastlake-Style Victorian home, which is believed to have once belonged to a prominent candidate for the Office of California Attorney General, is still being tabulated.
The cause of the fire remains under active investigation.