Hot Shots 3/2015

March 1, 2015
Recent fires from around the country

HOUSTON, TX, JAN. 15, 2015 – Houston Fire Department Captain Raul Villasana ascends the turntable of his Ladder Company 68 operating defensively at a 2-11 fire involving an apartment complex’s offices in the Sharpstown area. The blaze was reported at about 6:45 P.M. and it took firefighters nearly two hours to bring it under control as it spread through voids in an added-on mansard-style roof of the large two-story structure.

Photo by Tom McDonald

LOS ANGELES, CA, DEC. 8, 2014 – A captain from Los Angeles Fire Department Task Force 20 places a truck company at the northwest corner of a well-involved seven-story, 200-by-900-foot building under construction in downtown Los Angeles. Firefighters were dispatched at 1:20 A.M. and found heavy fire showing. Two stories were concrete and the remaining five floors were exposed lumber. The massive blaze could be seen from all over the city and 50-foot flames caused the closure of all northbound lanes of the 110 Freeway. Under the command of Deputy Chief Joseph Castro, 250 firefighters from 63 engine and truck companies attacked the fire using large ground and aerial hose streams. Dozens of other units, including command staff, ambulances and specialized equipment, also were on scene. The bulk of the fire was knocked down in just over 90 minutes. Firefighters worked with LAFD bulldozers for nearly 24 hours to fully extinguish the deep-seated smoldering lumber. Damage to the building was estimated at $10 million. The intensity of the flames quickly ignited several floors of an adjacent 16-story high-rise.

Photo by Mike Meadows

NORRIDGE, IL, JAN. 7, 2015 – Firefighters endured sub-zero temperatures while battling a fire involving a large private dwelling. Norwood Park firefighters responded at 5 A.M. and found the entire first floor ablaze. Firefighters and police officers used ground ladders to rescue eight people from a second-floor balcony. Firefighting efforts were hampered by a series of water main breaks. The fire gained tremendous headway and consumed the entire building, which was torn down later in the day.

Photo by Steve Redick

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