Trending Topics

Late night fire destroys L.A. commercial building

On Monday, August 25, at 11:12 PM, 18 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, 6 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, Emergency Air 1, DOT, DWP and LAPD, under the direction of Assistant Chief Mark Stormes, responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 201 E. 58th St. in the South Los Angeles area. Firefighters responded to the south central address finding a 1 story commercial building with heavy smoke and fire showing through the roof. Additional companies were requested immediately. Firefighters initiated an aggressive fire attack deploying 2-1/2 inch and 1-3/4 inch handlines to try and gain control of the intense fire. The roof team put forth a gallant ventilation effort for approximately 7 minutes when the roof showed significant signs of weakness. The roof failed within 2 minutes after the ventilation team was ordered off the roof. Firefighters engaged in the interior attack were ordered out of the building and a Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) was initiated. After all personnel were accounted for, companies were directed to switch to a defensive attack with master stream appliances at approximately 2332 hours. DOT was called to assist with the heavy traffic in the immediate area hindering firefighting operations. It took 127 Firefighters 1 hour and 19 minutes to call a knockdown on the fire. There were no reports of injuries. The cause of the late night blaze will be determined with the completion of the fire investigation. The dollar loss was estimated at $1,250,000 [$750,000 structure, $500,000 contents]. The business was known as Jubullee Inc., a clothing manufacturer.