LAFD

Fire stations in Los Angeles will work to identify businesses similar to the vaping and cannabis supplies wholesale operation that went up in flames Saturday, triggering a powerful explosion and injuring 12 firefighters. Inspectors will attempt to ensure they are storing dangerous materials safely. The business that burned Saturday contained items like butane, commonly used in the volatile process of…

People can take their pets to be groomed and trained in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday while also announcing car washes in the city can reopen. People will have to drop off their pets at the groomers and trainers and follow the same COVID-19 guidelines for small retail shops that were announced last week, until the Los Angeles…

Firefighters battled flames at a commercial building filled with textiles Tuesday morning in downtown Los Angeles.  The fire was reported at about 4 a.m.  on Mateo Street near 11th Street. The building contained densely packed rolled textiles piled about 15-feet high, according to the fire department.  The fire was declared a major emergency about 45 minutes later. More than...

Firefighters say the building contained textiles stacked about 15 feet high. Video broadcast Tuesday May 18, 2020 on Today in LA.

Four of the 12 firefighters injured in a fire and powerful explosion Saturday in downtown Los Angeles remained hospitalized Tuesday morning as investigators attempt to piece together events leading up to the blast. The firefighters were forced to crawl down a ladder from the roof of the business as they were surrounded by a ball of smoke and flames. All…

Investigators will be combing through debris, looking for burn patterns and talking to witnesses as they work to determine a cause to the fire that put so many lives at risk. Kim Tobin reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Sunday May 17, 2020.

Eleven firefighters suffered burn injuries when they escaped from a burning building through a ball of flames Saturday in downtown Los Angeles. A twelfth firefighter was injured and released from the hospital Saturday night. All injured firefighters were expected to survive. They were inside the building in the 300 block of East Boyd Street around 6:30 p.m. when the blast…

The NBC4 I-Team has obtained a copy of a video showing the DTLA explosion that injured 12 firefighters on Saturday night and learned that it is now being used as part of the LAFD’s investigation. The video shows firefighters escaping the burning building through a ball of flames and fiery explosion. Warning: the video below may not be suitable for…

A building marked Smoke Totes Warehouse distributor was at the center of the fire that took two hours to put out and injured several LAFD firefighters. Darsha Philips reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Saturday May 16, 2020.

Firefighters responded to a call of a fire when an explosion blasted through the building. 11 firefighters are injured. Mekahlo Medina reports for Today in LA on Sunday, May 17, 2020.

The NBC4 I-Team tracks the history of the smoke shop business at the center of the fire that injured 11 firefighters in Downtown LA. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Saturday May 16, 2020.

Three of the 11 firefighters suffered critical, but not life-threatening, injuries. Kim Tobin reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Saturday May 16, 2020.

A witness video shows a ball of fire and smoke rising from a building in downtown LA Saturday May 16, 2020. Credit: Spencer Richardson

As seen on Today in LA on Saturday, May 16, 2020.

A part of a two-story 1920s apartment building, the site of a major emergency fire that began Saturday morning in the basement of the Historic South Central structure and spread into the south side of the complex, has collapsed. “This will be an extended operation, possibly spanning more than a day, to allow heavy equipment to remove debris and uncover…

A Los Angeles Fire Department assistant chief is facing two misdemeanor charges for allegedly crashing his personal vehicle into a parked car in Santa Clarita and fleeing from the scene in January. Ellsworth S. Fortman, 54, was charged last week with one misdemeanor count of hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage and driving a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s…

The number of Los Angeles Police Department employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 has risen to 108, while the Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting 27 cases, officials said this weekend. Of the 108 cases in the police department, 45 have recovered and returned to full duty, one member is hospitalized, and all other individuals are self-isolating at home…

The number of Los Angeles Police Department employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 has reached 77, officials said this weekend. Of those cases, 33 have recovered and returned to full duty, one individual is hospitalized, and all other individuals are self-isolating at home and recovering, according to Jessica Kellogg, public information officer for the city Emergency Operations Center. Kellogg…