On Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 4:45 PM, 19 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 5 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 2 Arson Units, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 7 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 137 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Robert Franco, responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 5935 South Western Avenue in Hyde Park.
Firefighters arrived quickly to discover a 200' x 150' one-story metal clad commercial structure fully involved with fire. The first-arriving firefighters commenced bold defensive operations with master streams, only to have portions of lightweight structure collapse within moments of their arrival.
Though flames briefly threatened one commercial structure to the east, the fire was skillfully confined to the building of fire origin and extinguished in just 36 minutes.
There were no injuries.
Loss to 'Cisco Brothers Furniture' is still being tabulated. Firefighters will remain at the furniture manufacturing business until the morning, when LAFD Equipment Operators and Urban Search and Rescue Specialists will be deployed to assist Investigators in moving tons of debris to gain safe and efficient access to the interior of the building.
The cause of this Major Emergency fire remains under active investigation.
