Even as the city of New Orleans struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina's devastating blow, its firefighters continue to battle major blazes.
One of the bigger fires in recent weeks took place on Wednesday night, October 26th, at Canal and Royal Streets on the edge of the famed French Quarter. Units arrived on the scene to find flames leaping from the top floor and through the roof of a four story commercial building.
The fire quickly escalated to four alarms, as the N.O.F.D. began an exterior attack using ladder pipes, deck guns, and squirts, while also moving handlines into adjacent structures to prevent further extension.
This tactic proved successful, confining the flames to the original fire building, despite the tightly packed exposures surrounding it.
The blaze was battled by nine engines, four trucks, The Flying Squad, the Rescue Squad, four district chiefs, the deputy chief, and other command staff.
A water supply task force with several tankers was also dispatched, but did not need to be utilized. The tankers remain in the city due to large areas that still lack a working water supply.
