Live: Firefighters battling massive structure fire in Compton I ABC7

Firefighters are battling a massive fire in an industrial area of Compton. abc7.com/10372...

[@tsar2057]

I don't think there's enough fire trucks to cover the fire.

[@frelnc]

Looked like, but they did finally get it contained after about 4 hours. This is going to be a multi-million dollar loss. All those buses. I checked on a website that sells tour buses and each one can be worth anywhere from $150K to $350K. So this will be a HUGE loss for that company. They were only able to save a couple buses. Replacing all that lost inventory? Can't even imagine how much that will cost. The buses were probably insured, but isn't fire considered a "natural" calamity and sometimes those kinds of things aren't covered.

[@rayweeks4018]

@@frelnc They can sue the pallet company.

[@redbull5181]

@@frelnc Those are Prevost busses. Base price is over a million.

[@BorisFavorov]

Sometimes this is a question of local water supply ability too. You can't just put infifnite number of engines there, they all need hydrants with high pressure.

[@frelnc]

@@redbull5181 Yike!!

[@snoozebutton]

It’s either a fire or a high speed pursuit here in California

[@SkyEaglespirit]

Praying no one was injured or killed in this massive fire. Lord, please protect the first responders, especially the firefighters, help them contain this fire & take them safely home to their loved ones.

[@vera4799]

Amen

[@canadianphil421]

You can say that again 🙏

[@robinmartz9052]

I agree in the name of Jesus

[@apacalyptic1freelancevideo823]

i love you

[@standalone2358]

Praying to Raptor Jesus. Under His Claws that no one was hurt. Ramen.

[@markchalled3976]

Thanks for putting the stream up. for those of us that had to work today.

[@thelocdvegan6770]

I watched this live earlier this morning as it was happening about 30 mins or so after the fire began. There was little water pressure in the area. The LAFD has to call the Water Dept to ask them to increase water pressure to the area. One of the hydrants had no water coming out at all. Because of the water pressure issues, they were going to let some of the stuff just burn out - like the pallets (according to KTLAs Mark Kono) . I think the issue with the water was a huge problem in getting this under control and once pallets started going up in flames it just got out of control. I think I heard that after about 4 hours they were basically dealing with hot spots. Kudos to the LA Fire Dept. This looked like a real tough fire to put out. This made the local news in the New York City area.

[@ronkali5365]

Hydrants should be checked all the time, this tell me they weren't for good while.Even if they have water should also be check for the right amount it should be putting out

[@MrEagle2704-OFFICIAL]

Guess it wouldn't be LA if those were checked regularly lol

[@carolineforbes6172]

Oof

[@carolineforbes6172]

One of them houses are mine :( but we have an even better bigger house with about 10 people in there and 11 floors so it’s so comfortable.

[@josephluera1847]

Pallets burn so HOT.............. Radiant Heat poor buses

[@dianejudd1315]

Prayers for all

[@ruthc8407]

At 17:00, those aren't silos, they are sawdust separators, that separate big pieces of sawdust from powdery sawdust.

[@vegas1a]

Yeah I caught that too, but the reporter can't know everything. Those units would burn better than the pallets if the fire got to them, and the building below would also be history. When I was a kid, my parents had a small lumber company to the east of this fire area, and I was born a mile or so north of this area, though I grew up in Whittier....

[@pamhowden8161]

Pray for the first responders

[@markuss.1528]

I have never seen such a badly organized fire fight.

[@redwatch1100]

New Amerika.

[@jamesevans938]

sometimes its better to try and prevent from spreading and just to let what's already on fire to just burn

[@patrickconfer3592]

What would the Europeans have done? Factor in a city of 9 million that also needs protection. Do you know what other incidents required equipment at the time, access to the area for placement of equipment. and the locations of hydrants and water pressure? Please provide your expertise from the 20 minute video.

[@destryridesagain]

Hard to believe how far this has spread...and there are still lots of pallets that haven't burned....

[@2345allthebest]

This fire was in the City of Compton... Their Fire Department has a history of issues and is woefully inadequate for the community it serves - NOT due to personnel but budget constraints and a shortage of up-to-date equipment. They are also part of a mutual aid agreement that primarily focuses on other nearby small cities such as Downey and Santa Fe Springs Departments before seeking massive aid from the larger and better equipped County Fire. Low water pressure is also very common in this area as part of infrastructure problems in Compton. Massive # of fires down there due to homeless folks trying to cook and keep warm... This was a perfect storm of events waiting to happen. Glad no one was killed.

[@juliecasey5196]

The radiant heat will start fires around the area

[@normansilver905]

It looks like the fire suppressions forces are very strained. This is a huge problem.

[@frelnc]

Agreed. Looks like they didn't get help for a while.

[@binded2]

just why are all the busses parked right up onto the pallets who every thought that was a good idea

[@m4yd1e86]

Why do they build buildings and houses so close together? The same principle applies there.

[@Asdfgqedfglo]

T J you made that point perfectly!

[@georgespalding7640]

@@m4yd1e86 when commercial property is $2000000 an acre, you use every square inch of it.

[@danhutson3460]

Reminds me of all the school buses that were under water during Hurricane Katrina. They could have been used for an evacuation, but then that would have made sense.

[@debbesumner8921]

Sure hope no one gets hurt!

[@chich61]

How terrifying. My thoughts go to all the amazing first responders. Stay safe. Hope and prayers there are no injuries or fatalities. Love from South Australia xx

[@seanathair432]

That telephone pole is going to be a problem! Transformers dont handle heat well

[@DrTWG]

I don't know - Optimus Prime ain't afraid of no flames amn.

[@hardcorehoulie]

Do they ever consider a water drop from a helicopter in fires like this...is that even feasible in this case?

[@StevenA1]

Yes, I was thinking this too. They were probably scared that the water would splash onto the neighboring houses tho lol

[@jamesfraser4173]

Those buses are not plastic, its fiberglass!

[@harleyhoracio1]

Ridiculous that they don’t utilize a helicopter water drop for something like this. I’d be furious if I owned the bus yard. Looks like Cal-Trans out there, 7 guys watching for every one guy with a hose.

[@geshia1751]

Firefighting helicopters of the County should have been deployed.

[@jeanb.5405]

Is there a large body of water near there? That is where they would get it for a drop.

[@Schultz-ko3ve]

Governor Newsom just got dropped from Greta Thurnburg’s Christmas card list.... that’s a lot pf CO2 in the atmosphere, HOW DARE YOU!

[@heli-crewhgs5285]

There are no ‘water cannon.’ The fire department are using tower ladders and deck guns. Each application is known as a ‘master stream.’

[@dutch5501]

They need a couple of Chicago's Snorkels.

[@donbrinkman3874]

Great Ariel photography

[@georgespalding7640]

Those are luxury charter buses worth about $500,000 each. Hard to replace them. TLC is going to lose a lot of business. The pandemic was hard enough on them already.

[@chrisbarr1359]

Maybe "liquidating" half of the buses via fire insurance will actually help the struggling company. Not saying this fire is arson. But you are going to see a lot of retail stores, restaurants and rental units being burnt for the insurance as a result of the pandemic economic crisis.

[@Kjgairborne]

​@HahThatsWhatSheSaid Just speculation, but that sounds like plausible deniability. Them starting the fire next door where the pallets are to avoid suspicion of fraud. I agree though, it's probably gonna be hard to prove a fraud case for the bus company.

[@GM8101PHX]

It looks like there is no block containment walls around the pallets as there should be!!!!

[@gregadomeit4020]

Greg if you look at these pallet yards it should be mandatory to have firewalls fire brakes. Stacks of pallet with there own built in ventilation is a inferno that always claims exposures its a shame that the bus owner is out of business for awhile or permanently. Just my thoughts and opinion. Take care Greg

[@mikeadcock1592]

Why not do water drops like they do on the wildfires?

[@BIGDROC99]

They really should. They have plenty of resources to do that

[@hardcorehoulie]

I asked the same thing just now...you'd think a helicopter could get in there and dose that pallet tower at least.

[@mshotz1]

The plastics in the buses burn too hot to be put out like that. They need to just dump a constant stream of water to drown the fire. With a water drop, the fire will come right back.

[@vera4799]

And why aren't they moving the other buses near by?

[@jamesaddie4895]

really!!!!!! drop water from the air. do you have any idea what water would do dropped from the air [1] how fast do you have to fly to stay in the air in the first place [2] what kind of damage will the water do when it hits at 120 mph [3] the up draft from the fire of that size can make what ever plane or helicoptor lose control and crash. think before you comment.....

[@garypmarquis]

Speaking as an old time firefighter, I wish to say this....."WE NEED MORE FREAKING HELP HERE, NOW!.

[@enid0mom]

Looks like they need lots of mutual aid from surrounding departments.

[@amanda_rn5127]

Could definitely use that firefighter in the sky Boeing 747 with the retardant foam right now 😳

[@BeaBosse]

👍

[@Future336]

Oh hell nah to no no no and plus I freaking live there good thing I’m in my moms car right now .

[@frelnc]

Apparently no private homes were damaged, but for now much of the area is without power, and I would imagine there will be substantial smoke and ash damage.

[@EndlessSurprisesSD]

After watching a row of buses burn that fast, I now have to wonder if maybe public transportation shouldn't be inspected for non/less-flammable materials. Just thinking of a bus crash, and the time it would take to extract injured vs how quickly the bus burns.

[@mcmullinyardhaunt]

I have seen smaller fires in the area on videos with 8 tillers around one building, so where all the help this time?

[@dpflack1744]

Omg 😱 I hope 🤞 that nobody got hurt or killed or injured 🤕 during the fire 🔥.

[@leqidunjoueurdefoot...4480]

Who are you for that ?

[@leqidunjoueurdefoot...4480]

For who do you take you ?

[@georgeburnham1123]

Hurt and injured Are the same thing

[@georgeburnham1123]

@@leqidunjoueurdefoot...4480 ?

[@jamesteichler1290]

How does a fire get that big?

[@m4yd1e86]

Pallets are extremely dry and quite flammable. These are all over youtube. With plenty of videos explaining how tough they are to fight.

[@joeboscarino2380]

When all they're using is hand lines , they can't get enough water on the pallets . The water just evaporates they have 2 engines in the bus yard but aren't using the deck guns . They must not have enough water pressure at the hydrants .

[@robertyoung3992]

plus all the flammable materials inside of the buses

[@ph11p3540]

@@joeboscarino2380 When all the hydrants in a neighborhood is used, the water pressure always drops.

[@yahkhakeerah796]

When it's a set fire

[@roseharris8528]

O wow prayers for all

[@enid0mom]

If you set out to design something that would burn *hot* with its own fuel and ventilation to provide plenty of oxygen, you would inevitably end up with something that looks like a pallet. A pallet yard about two miles from where I live caught fire and took hours to contain. It seems like there should be ordinances or something to control distances from exposures.

[@BurtW546]

They need more fire fighters etc.

[@apacalyptic1freelancevideo823]

they need more security with fire extinguishers

[@jamesfraser4173]

They need a better water supply.

[@mr.originaloneniceguy]

Thanks for the Update

[@konsejitos]

The placement of some of those fire trucks seems way off, like the one on the street for example the water stream is doing nothing, and no trucks in the back alleys.

[@MrGreen2700]

Nope. Good placement, good water streams, You notice how there are buses on fire? that would be the reason for not parking as close as possible, Radiant heat likely how it spread to the buses in the first place. As for the water stream that is doing "nothing" I assume you are talking about the one that is being sprayed at the unburned pallets. that is a very good tactic. Why do we even bother putting out fires? It is not because we are trying to save what has already burned. the whole point is to keep it from burning stuff that hasn't already been burned, Things that are near by are called exposures. in large fires, the biggest concern is exposure protection. It is done by spraying unburned exposures to keep them cool enough that they don't ignite. If you have good exposure protection around the perimeter of the fire then you can ensure the fire doesn't spread. And eventually the fire itself will burn out just like a camp fire. That is a good way of doing things when you have a limited amount of fire engines on scene. first protect exposures and ensure no spread occurs, then when more fire apparatus arrive you can start putting the flames out. Also stacked pallets are extremely dangerous because of how likely they are to collapse when burning. It was not safe for that firefighter to walk around to an area where he could directly put the fire out. fire house is also very very heavy and once a fire truck is connected to a hydrants it cannot be moved. It uses it's engine to power the pumps for the hoses. So it would be a pretty dumb idea to drive into the alley into the radiant heat where the truck could catch fire and also put yourself in a narrow space surrounded by combustible material where you would have no way to quickly exit if the fire spread. So in this situation, great apparatus placement, and great use of hose streams.

[@JasmineLindros]

If a vehicle fire burns long enough - and it was obvious this fire was going to burn for some time - the rubber gas lines will burn through, dumping gasoline on the ground. Fire engines need to be parked far enough away that fire fighters can see the burning gasoline running in their direction, drop the tower, unhook the lines, retract the outriggers, and move the engine before the burning gasoline reaches them.

[@Sxtsxmx47]

13:02 this guy with his garden hose is hilarious

[@Ronsgonefishing]

I see a lot of fire fighters milling around, but not many active fire hoses :(

[@kapteinron]

i see that often. 100 fighters stand there and only a couple are realy doing some work. as an owner of the burning thing you would go crazzy

[@dfwprodriver2752]

How would you like them to get close to a fire that big and that hot? They have to go defensive and protect life first and then property. Property can be replaced but people are more difficult to that with. :)

[@Ronsgonefishing]

@@dfwprodriver2752 did I say anything about not being close enough ?

[@dfwprodriver2752]

@@Ronsgonefishing milling about sort of implies that the firefighters aren't doing their jobs right? Which would also imply that they aren't close to the fire using whatever apparatus the IC told them to right? A conflagration like that one, which had many dynamic scenarios playing out, has people actively fighting fire and those on standby to relieve others when called upon. Also, I would suspect that there were multiple RIC crews assigned in case of a firefighter emergency. It is confusing to see but each firefighter has a responsibility assigned by an incident commander and simply watching a KZbin video will not give you all the details.

[@Ronsgonefishing]

@@dfwprodriver2752 agreed

[@jorgejadcdecandia9777]

Porque no cortan la propagacion? Porque le tiran agua al humo? Porque le tiran a la olla y no cortan la base?

[@martinrodriguez5583]

Don't rule out insurance fraud lol

[@ph11p3540]

I highly doubt it in this case since it involves a third party. If it is, the both the guilty party and the innocent third party are never getting any insurance payback.

[@TheAdamKochShow]

why are some of the fire fighters standing around holding hoses with no water.... those custom busses are about a million each.

You fight what you can in a fire. Dont waste your time in what is lost and try your best to prevent further loss.

[@BorisFavorov]

I don't think there is a water supply like on the nuclear power plant. Some hydrants scattered over the whole territory - that's all.

[@mikesturboss]

Why do I feel like California is always on fire somwhere

[@petemoore5104]

When the bus tyres started blowing out, the local gangs thought a turf war had broken out!

[@rayweeks4018]

Those that have never done the job always know how to do it better.

[@estellamartinez4531]

Whr is this at

[@DrTWG]

That helo camera must have some cool stabilisation system on it .

[@RR-nv9lj]

Wow a lot of fire hope no one hurt

[@akimalyah]

Has this fire been contained yet? or is it still burning?

[@PEREGRINA3]

Que incendio tan raro, pudieron rescatar algunas unidades, y no lo hicieron ?

[@maxpower8916]

Some insurance company somewhere was looking closely at the policy for a clause on this pricey devastation.

[@alevine1951]

I like watching fires. I always root for the fire.

[@Ronsgonefishing]

what's on the roof and sides of those busses that allow the fire to spread so fast ? Can't be aluminum ?

[@petemoore5104]

Firefighters abandoned the fire when the Chief said, we're going to need more hose.. They thought he said something else!

[@dannyluong8394]

That homeless camp most likely had something to do with the fire

[@badtoy9797702]

That's where it started

[@ginskimpivot753]

What a shambles. Surely there was a case for foam use here?! Or even an air drop.

[@canadianphil421]

Anything within 30 ft will start on fire 🔥

[@kansasthunderman1]

You got that right. That radiant heat is a bytch.

[@ethanmckenny970]

Are these amtrack buses?

[@yolandav2784]

🙏Prayers all are safe no fatalities🙏. Just wondering if Water helicopters are prohibited to fly thier and drop water ? because of power lines..wondering

[@nicholaslash8760]

Vegas, take note. Industrial areas lining valley Russell and that whole area going back towards the palms and as far west as Torrey pines. Plenty of spots there and downtown that look like the same kind of set up. Bunch of vehicles next to lots of pallets.

[@nicholaslash8760]

Valley view*

[@krisviira8315]

So few companies on scene for a fire this involved and massive

[@IlikeCatF]

So I'm curious why the firefighters are not using foam to put out the fuel fire same with the busses on fire spraying water does not seem to be doing anything but spreading the fire instead.

[@67VWForever]

funny how it started from the pallet yard and missed a few busses and burned the busses from the center to the left very suspicious .

[@EndlessSurprisesSD]

Not really. There's a possibility it was flammable liquid from the buses following the gutters/vines. The fact that businesses further to the right of the bussing company are on fire seems to confirm it.

[@hundredstv1229]

Great way to start Friday 😬

[@juliedempsey9058]

So pour some water from the air like you do in yearly fires? Can't you put it out by air?

[@chiemekaa]

Airspace restrictions.

[@darrenmarsh2290]

No you can't. The reason is, when they do a water drop they like to be 50 feet up and do 50 knots. If they drop it higher the water evaporates before it hits the fire. It is to dangerous to fly low in the city. Also depending on what type of helicopter you can have up to 900 gallons of water being drop which can be very dangerous for personal on the ground. I'm not a firefighter but I have watch shows on water dropping.

[@rickk6447]

Does this mean the pallet company and the bus company are having an all out fire sale??????????

[@eugenebennett5800]

IF THEY APLYED 1211 HALON IT WOULD BE OUT SO FAST...

[@eugenebennett5800]

@Randall Johnson to a pint ... but all fire fighting agent is toxic to humans but they do nto say nothing about it like dry chemcaill and the sell it every way

[@eugenebennett5800]

it is used for air craft fires

[@anonymousiscool8368]

WHERE IS AIR SUPPORT???

[@ph11p3540]

Send in the water bombers

[@crisco501]

looks like insurance fraud here

[@MrHandsomeferny]

Yeah that’s what I was thinking

[@Asdfgqedfglo]

Lol no it doesn’t....

[@ph11p3540]

So both the pallet yar downer and the bus company are not going to get any fire insurance compensation then. All an insurance company needs is suspicion to not pay out.

[@Asdfgqedfglo]

Phillip Mulligan and there’s nothing suspicious about it. It’s not fraud, it doesn’t even look like fraud. At all. But I guess if you’re a person that’s not familiar with this type of insurance fraud maybe then you would assume it is

[@dragonxr2685]

Where is the rest of the city fire trucks?

[@brianmcdonough8913]

Why is it that they never point the water at the hot spot. Almost every video.

[@jamesfraser4173]

Where is Compton, please?

[@downeyfiredistrict1040]

13:00 🤘🏻

[@johndough201]

Looks like a movie set

[@Utubin]

This is where they need these huge aircraft full of water and or fire retartent to do fly overs releasing to save these structures. Its obviously hard to scramble a plan and gain access to fight a fire this huge that's moving soo fast. No firefighter experience here . Just my unprofessional opinion. Perhaps someone with knowledge of this type inferno could chime in with there thoughts. Any how, as usual. God bless my first responder hereos. Much love Atlanta Ga 3.4.2021

[@BorisFavorov]

Aircraft will kill numerous people with water - in forest falling water usually breaks trees as matches. And it can't "bomb" precisely.

[@SundayCookingRemix]

Something isn't right

[@ayadnoori6328]

Hi America, hurry up to put the fire out, the fire has just burned things so quickly it’s like ,never seen never heard, it seems no one is living there or the matter is like to watch what is going to be happening that’s tough,big thanks to firefighters......

[@nancysantamarialatica1141]

O wow Much lov to the city of Compton

[@wasntme20]

Coaches not on fire but no water to stop them catching fire must be a water shortage whenever I watch these it’s like the fireman attend the fire to watch it burn everything to the ground the cost of this I dread to think

[@SuzieNerds]

The state of California has been in a drought for years. More people drinking/using water than rain/snowfall can replace, unfortunately. Source: I have family who live in Silicon Valley.

[@sabrinahulsey1782]

How that happens

[@josephcrispin3018]

This is a day old as I watch this, I hope everyone there is OK.

[@christophermozeleski7149]

how depressing! That's millions of dollars down the drain.

[@InstrumentPilotBartram]

insurance will cover it

[@aaronj.brooks1977]

A terrible thing to see a pallet fire and it’s connected to a bus yard a lot of fuel from the gasoline tanks

[@martimasters7704]

The old fashioned way to put out an oil well fire was to throw canisters filled with nitroglycerin soaked in fiber near the well head. The nitro sets off a small explosion, which sucks up all the oxygen and extinguishes the fire. I wonder if this could be used in isolated cases like this, when there isn't sufficient water or enough fire trucks to handle the entire blaze. For sure a plane dropping flame retardant would help this fire!

[@tg5298]

Ridiculous no water pressure in area. Sue the city.

[@danielrenz3094]

what starting it

[@chavelliunostramus3379]

seems like started on several places.

[@canadianphil421]

Wow millions of dollars on fire and they have taken a massive hit from COVID

[@rotorbeam1]

Regarding the pallets, why are they shooting the water at the flame instead of the pallets? They need a helicopter drop at that scene.

[@BobJohnson-pi5bi]

Just incredible lack of identifying the enormous amount of HAZARDS in this area and City......Fire Chiefs need to evaluated the enormous exposures from 2 shown here with a PALLET storage facility with thousands of pallets equivalent to an enormous lumber yard and further TV coverage showed an enormous BALED PAPER facility next to a large Truck Tanker facility.......any ignitions with flying embers from the Pallet fire igniting the bailed paper would have had enormous consequences of a fire they may have consumed several blocks ....incedable incompetency here in FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU , the Fire Chief, and Pre-fire planning, operations and the list goes on and on and on.

[@silversun3133]

Interesting that there was another pallet yard fire in Compton a month later. 2 locations, same city, same type of fire, hmmmm.......

[@georgeburnham1123]

3138 one bus in the middle how the heck it not on fire when the ones next to it are

[@skeeter1070]

Insurance for sure

[@leqidunjoueurdefoot...4480]

Never stop over there.

[@ukraineforever_belgium3446]

nice fire

[@Kjgairborne]

Are those propane trucks to the top right, and shouldn't somebody move those.

[@dennisday8780]

way to go california. your state puts more stuff in the air then the whole world does. keep up the good work "go green state"

[@pjangels609]

Actually that title goes to Beijing China, but just keep making stuff up.

I'm shocked LA residents didn't show up with marshmallows...

[@badeadrian]

Backed.. backed... backed 😏

[@geraldfichtner1915]

Don't waist good drinking water ,,,,lay supply lines from the Ocean !!

[@noelhutchins7366]

How do airports manage to coat everything in a slather of fire-suppression-foam and still urban-industrial-centers' fire crew just spritz water, evaporating tons of city-water in an inferno that just heats away the humdity and reignites. Ever air-dropping a load of powdered dirt would manage flames better than an aquifer of evaporated water.