On Sunday, April 2, 2006 at 4:43 p.m., six companies of Los Angeles firefighters, one LAFD rescue ambulance, three arson investigation teams, one hazardous materials squad, one EMS battalion captain and a battalion chief officer command team under the direction of Battalion Chief Greg Gibson responded to a vehicle fire with civilian fatalities in the 1200 block of North Stanford Avenue south of downtown Los Angeles.
Firefighters responded quickly to a report of a vehicle fire threatening nearby buildings to find a compact sport-utility vehicle well involved with fire in an alley behind a row of mid-rise commercial structures. In the burning vehicle there was an adult male with severe burn injuries who was promptly treated by firefighters and paramedics as their colleagues aggressively attacked the fire.
Firefighters swiftly extinguished the flames, preventing damage to the adjacent businesses. As the smoke and steam cleared, firefighters discovered human remains within the vehicle and cordoned off the area for investigators. Preliminary indications were that as many as two persons were deceased within the SUV, which was destroyed by the flames.
The 54 year-old male burn victim, whose affiliation with the fire and apparent victims could not be immediately determined, was transported to the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in critical condition with burns to both legs, his face and both hands. There were no other injuries reported. The exact cause of the fire remains under joint police and fire department investigation. A positive identification of the decedents, as well as the exact cause, time and manner of their death will be determined by Coroner’s officials.