Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126193473 - La City Fire

Inspection Information - Office: Los Angeles District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:20 p.m. on July 24, 2007, Employee # 1, a firefighter, was the apparatus operator for his department as they responded to a fire at a commercial property. The property was two, single-story, wood-framed, adjoined units with a stucco exterior. The total unit was 125-ft by 150-ft in size and there was 2-ft tall division wall on the flat roof. By the time the fire rescue crew arrived to the scene; the back of structure was already engulfed in flame. The employee climbed a 24-ft, aerial ladder with a chainsaw to the roof. He ran to the burn area along the left side of the structure. Two coworkers, another firefighter and the captain, were on the roof on the right side of the structure. They yelled out to the employee to stop and come back the other way. Employee #1 did not hear the warning and continued to the quickly to the left side, and climbed over the division wall. He fell out of sight of his coworkers, and the captain immediately broadcasted that he was missing. It took about seven minutes for the other firefighters to find the employee and pull him out of the burning building. He sustained second degree burns to his face, arms, hands; and third degree burns to his abdomen. Employee #1 was taken to Cedar Sinai Hospital and then transferred to Torrance Memorial Hospital where he was hospitalized for five weeks.

Keywords: BURN, FIREFIGHTER, FIRE, ARM, FACE, HAND, STOMACH