RIALTO — A fire broke out at a strip mall in the 700 block of Foothill Boulevard on Sunday morning, causing about $1 million dollars in damage, according to Fire Department officials.
The 3:15 a.m. fire burned two buildings and caused smoke and heat damage in two others, said Matt Payne, a department spokesman.
The buildings were unoccupied when the fire broke out and no one was injured.
Engines from Rialto, Colton, San Bernardino and San Bernardino County fire departments responded.
“It was a big fire,” Payne said. “They did a good job.”
One building is considered a complete loss, but the other is salvageable, Payne said.
The two buildings with smoke and heat damage will have to replace a few light fixtures that melted and clean up soot and ash that entered the buildings, Payne said.
The owners of the buildings and property representatives were notified of the damage Sunday morning. Some came by to see the damage to their businesses.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Fire investigators were on the scene for much of the day, Payne said.
On Sunday, October 5, 2008 at 4:20 PM, 17 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 5 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Rehab Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 4 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, L.A. Unified School Police and DWP, under the direction of Assistant Chief Don Frazeur, responded to a Structure Fire at 9919 Laurel Canyon Bl. in the San Fernando area.
Firefighters were dispatched to a reported structure fire at Pacoima Middle School. The first arriving Firefighters on scene found a moderate amount of smoke coming from the front of the auditorium. As Firefighters made entry into the structure to advance handlines, they found a small amount of fire located approximately 20 feet inside the building. The roof team initiated a fierce ventilation effort to relieve the interior Firefighters from the heavy smoke that had built up inside the structure. After the initial knockdown of fire at the entrance of the building, the fire attack team ventured deeper inside the structure to locate the remaining bulk of fire.
It took approximately 122 Firefighters 1 hour and 19 minutes before a knock down was called. The sprinkler system had been activated, causing a large de-watering operation. The school auditorium suffered significant smoke, fire and water damage. The damage is estimated to be $2,000,000 [$1,500,000 structure, $500,000 contents], while the cause will not be determined until the completion of the fire investigation. No injuries were reported.
Written by d’Lisa Davies
Los Angeles Fire Department / Photos by Chris Yarzab
Nine firefighters sustained minor injuries in three unrelated vehicular accidents Friday and Saturday as personnel continued to battle the Chalk Fire in Los Padres National Forest, about 22 miles southwest of King City. The most serious injury was a possible broken nose. All of the injured were evaluated at a local hospital and released.
The fire, which started Sept. 27, was 30 percent contained, but was burning on more than 12,168 acres. CalFire and the National Forest Service expect to have the blaze contained by Oct. 17.
Overnight rain helped Saturday’s effort, and properties at Dempsey Flat, Biere, Nacaruby and Alms had been removed from the list of threatened areas. A total of 19 residences and 30 outbuildings were still threatened. No structures had been destroyed.
A total of 1,334 firefighters were on the scene Saturday in 30 crews. Equipment included 73 engines, eight air tankers, nine dozers and 12 helicopters.
CalFire reported the fire’s west flank had reached Highway 1 near Limekiln and Hare Canyon. Crews established containment lines Saturday south of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road to the junction of South Coast Ridge Road and McKern Road.
As conditions allow, crews will hold the containment line and begin structure-protection preparation at Merle Ranch. Crews will build a direct line north from Highway 1 toward Cone Peak, and will improve lines on the McKern Trail and Slick Rock.
On the northwest flank in the Ventana Wilderness, challenges include steep terrain and few opportunities to construct containment lines at the fire’s edge.
The fire evacuation warning for residents in the area west of Chalk Peak and South Coast Ridge Road was downgraded Saturday to an evacuation watch.
West Coast 911 firefighting news source - Written by Monterey County Herald
On Thursday, October 2, at approximately 6:00 AM, units of the San Jose Fire Department responded to a fast moving structure fire in a multi-unit strip mall at 5156 Moorpark Avenue on the city’s west side.
The fire sent flames up to 40 feet above the roofline of the structure and destroyed three business occupancies including two restaurants before firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze.
Striking a second and third-alarm, Battalion Chief Robert Sapien called for firefighters to assume a defensive attack using exterior hand lines. Other crews were sent to the roof to complete a trench cut in a successful effort to quell the advance of the fire.
Firefighters were able to contain the flames before they spread to a dry cleaner, bridal shop and jeweler, but those tenants did suffer smoke damage.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Story and Photos by Craig Allyn Rose, Emergency Photo
The Chalk Fire, which continues to burn 22 miles southwest of King City in Los Padres National Forest, has consumed 10,650 acres and was 22 percent contained late Friday.
CalFire reported that 1,494 firefighters battled the blaze Friday in difficult terrain, with the majority of effort continuing on the west flank to protect structures and minimize impart to Highway 1. The potential for growth of the fire was considered high. Extra caution is advised while driving on Highway 1 in the area of the fire because of debris in the presence of emergency equipment and crews.
The fire burned through a track of residences on the south flank Friday, but suppression efforts prevented homes from the fire. Minimal damage was reported.
A total of 38 crews were on duty, using 73 engines, nine helicopters, nine bulldozers and eight air tankers.
An evacuation warning was in effect for the immediate fire area west of Chalk Peak and South Coast Ridge Road. The warning was for areas where there was imminent threat to life and property. Anyone receiving notice should evacuate in accordance with the direction of deputies on the scene.
Drivers are needed for the first Colusa Fire Fighters Association demolition derby later this month.
Event sponsors said drivers are wanted from all over the Mid-Valley, especially locals from Colusa, Glenn, Yolo and Sutter counties.
“I like the look on the guy’s face, just before I smash him,” said driver Kirk Voorhees of Williams.
The 39 year-old Colusa County-native was raised around demolition derbies, he said.
“The first one I ever did, I got a trophy and was hooked,” he said.
Voorhees is a regular on the Mid-Valley derby scene and said he enjoys the camaraderie generated by competing against the group of guys over the years.
Colusa driver Dennis Mitchell is also a regular who was raised on the scene.
“It’s a lot of good work to take a car and stripe it all the way down to bare bones metal and build it up again,” he said.
Jeremy Ainger of Colusa said he runs about two or three cars each year and wears his injuries like merit badges.
“Everyone gets banged up,” he said. “The first time out I broke my ribs.”
Ainger said he’s excited to bring his 1974 Monte Carlo to the derby and is looking forward to competing with old rivals.
“We hope a lot of people come out,” Voorhees said. “I just want to smash cars, helping the local fire fighters is just like a special bonus for me.”
The derby will be held Oct. 18, at the Colusa County Fairgrounds. Pits open at 5 p.m. If you would like to enter a vehicle, contact the Colusa County firefighters at 458-7221.
A Yuba City home was heavily damaged after a fire broke out inside the residence Thursday afternoon.
The home was being occupied but no one was home and no one was injured at the time of the blaze.
Operations Chief Pete Daley of the Yuba City Fire Department said at least 50 percent of the structure at 706 Main St. had severe heat and smoke damage. The roof and attic were destroyed by flames.
Five Yuba City fire trucks and 17 firefighters responded to the call around 3 p.m. Thursday. Identities of the owner or occupants of the home were not available Thursday afternoon.
Daley said firefighters were still battling the blaze more than an hour after the call went out because of the roof’s wooden shingles.
“They look pretty, but we don’t like them,” he said. “When they catch fire, flames get underneath them and they punk up. It makes it difficult.”
Daley said the property also had a lot of debris inside, which made it difficult to fight the blaze.
Firefighters responded to an explosion and fire in a storage basement in Oak View Thursday night, authorities said.
The structure on Hill Street was unoccupied when the incident began about 6:21 p.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The blaze, confined to the storage area, was knocked down by 6:41 p.m.
The explosion involved an unknown black powder substance, according to the department. The cause is still under investigation, officials said.
In Los Padres National Forest, firefighters planned to spend Thursday night mopping up a 1.5-acre fire east of Lockwood Valley Road, about 5 miles from Frazier, officials said.
The fire broke out about 10:45 a.m. Thursday and was not officially contained at 7 p.m., said Vicki Collins a spokeswoman for the Los Padres National Forest.
It was burning in rugged terrain near brush and timber about a half-mile from a commercial structure. At the outset five fire engines were dispatched, plus helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, Collins said.
The cause of the fire was unknown. No injuries have been reported.
Another small brush fire was reported this week in the Ventura River Bottom.
Firefighters from the Ventura City and Ventura County fire departments extinguished an approximately one-half acre brush fire Wednesday afternoon near the intersection of Stanley Avenue and Highway 33, authorities said.
Firefighters have contained a three-alarm blaze that damaged eight businesses in a strip mall in West San Jose.
The fire at 5156 Moorpark Ave., between Lawrence Expressway and Saratoga Avenue, was called in about 6 a.m. by San Jose firefighters returning to their station after putting out a nearby car fire.
Firefighters cut a two- to three-foot wide opening along the length of the roof to slow down the spread of the licking flames, according to fire Capt. Steve Alvarado. The tactic allowed smoke and flames to escape instead of continuing to spread through the rest of the complex.
The fire heavily damaged three businesses, including the New Peking and Sumiya Restaurant and Lounge, which seemed to receive the brunt of the blaze. The fire also caused heavy damage to a hair design shop and drycleaners. A bridal store, a jeweler and a bead supply store suffered moderate smoke damage, officials said.
