WESTLAKE - When an early morning blaze ripped through a vacant structure, firefighters battled the fire on multiple fronts and successfully saved a four story apartment building and large church.
At 2:46AM on July 10, 2023 the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to 2422 W 7th St in Westlake. Firefighters arrived to find a two story (residential over commercial) building with smoke showing from the 2nd floor.
While the incident commander requested additional resources, firefighters initiated an offensive operation. They were met with forcible entry challenges including rolling steel doors and several large security doors, requiring multiple firefighters with rotary saws. As they made entry, the truck companies ascended aerial ladders to coordinate a vertical ventilation operation.
The structure was found to be vacant and undergoing demolition. With fire towards the back of the structure quickly growing in both size and intensity and the lack of structural support due to demotion, conditions were too dangerous for a continued interior attack. At about the 20 minutes mark, the incident commander ordered all firefighters off the roof and out of the building, transitioning to a defensive operation.
Two large structures flanking the fire unit were at high risk of fire extension; a four story apartment building to the east and a multi-building church to the west which wrapped around to the rear of the fire building. While units quickly deployed ladder pipe operations and large diameter hand lines to attack the fire from the exterior, additional units focused on defending each exposure and evacuating the apartment building.
Over 90 firefighters, under the leadership of Assistant Chief Melford Beard, battled for 94 minutes before successfully achieving a knockdown of the blaze with no injuries reported. Their dedicated efforts limited damage to the two exposures. The apartment building sustained smoke and water damage to the units facing the fire. The 11 affected residents are being housed elsewhere and did not require Red Cross assistance. The church complex sustained fire damage to the section at the back of the fire building. Crews prevented the fire from moving through that building and putting the entire complex at risk.
As per protocol for an incident of this magnitude, LAFD Arson section responded and is conducting an ongoing investigation.
