An elderly couple was killed in a house fire on March 6 in Long Beach, Calif.
At 2:30 a.m. units from the Long Beach Fire Department responded to a smoke investigation call at the corner of 5th Street and Grand Avenue.
Engine 4's crew reported heavy fire and smoke coming from both the front and side of the single-story home. They quickly radioed dispatch and “Pulled the Hook” which is a term the LBFD uses to turn this incident a full structure fire response.
Firefighters kept the fire from spreading to the home next door while awaiting other crews.
They began an aggressive fire attack and search for victims. Personnel from Truck 1 along with Light Force 14 went to the roof to ventilate the house to make it easier for the crews down below.
Due to the time of the call, there was a greater risk of people inside sleeping or trapped. Crews did encounter cluttered conditions which made extinguishment much more difficult.
It took crews about 20 minutes to knock down the fire. Unfortunately, an elderly man and woman perished.
A cat also died in the fire, though a dog was taken by animal control and appeared to be ok. There were 30 total firefighters involved with this fire response.
