Firefighters Stop Brush Fire In Its Tracks
A coordinated air and ground attack by both LAFD and LACoFD crews, teamwork at its best, stopped a potentially disastrous brush fire and saved numerous homes in Baldwin Hills.
At 6:09PM, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a report of smoke at the intersection of W Coliseum St and S La Brea Av. Upon arrival, firefighters found over 1/4 acrea of grass with multiple spot fires, burning uphill into light brush. The direction of the fire put homes at the top of the hill at risk.
Upon seeing the potential of this fire, the first arriving officer upgraded the incident to a full brush fire response, to include a full assignment from Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Quickly, a coordinated plan of action took shape with helicopters providing critical water drops while firefighters hiked up the hillside with hose packs to get lines in place to fight the fire. Only by employing these combined efforts did the firefighters successfully stop the fire at three acres and save all the homes atop the hill.
Over 160 firefighters, both from LAFD and assisting agency LACoFD, led by Assistant Chief Michael Little, achieved a complete knockdown in only 53 minutes. Most importantly, no one was injured and no homes were damaged. Firefighters remained on scene into the evening conducting mop-up operations to ensure no hot spots remained and secure the safety of the neighborhood.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Dispatched units: E94 T94 E294 RA894 E68 RA68 E34 T61 E261 BC18 BC11 E43 E58 H0E H0B E90 EM11 E61 E26 E46 E66 E62 E29 CM22 BC4 E266 T66 H1 H5 H6 T90 E290 CM32 E220 T20 EM35 HU59 RA43 T66 E266 HU89 AR2
