LAFD Battling Greater Alarm Large Commercial Structure Fire (Van Nuys)

Los Angeles Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard for a reported structure fire. Task Force 39 was first on scene and reported a large one-story commercial building with heavy smoke showing. Firefighters initially went into an offensive posture to attack the fire. After making entry and opening up the roof, flames as high as 30 feet started to shoot out of the building. This resulted in firefighters to switch into a defensive posture as the fire had spread to three occupancies. Ladder pipes and heavy streams were used in the defensive operation. The roof later collapsed, which allowed for firefighters get a better shot through the top. Solid efforts prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent businesses, as the involved commercial building that consisted of three separate businesses and a church were part of a row of commercial buildings along Van Nuys Boulevard. What made it a stubborn fire was the due to the fact the main function of the businesses was the sale of textiles as well as storage. No injuries were reported.
Recorded in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, CA - 12/31/2023 & 1/1/2024

[@tillhecomes2046]

Excellent Team Work shown here & Superb footage! God Bless & Protect those who put their lives on the line for others

[@Eric-sn4qz]

Great vid and thanks for NO annoying play by play.

[@rushturner1911]

I have never seen a video that’s crystal clear nice coverage

[@90210FireBuff]

Thank you! 👍

[@SharkDude1]

Great footage! and great work by the LAFD! Those guys are awesome!

[@travelingdude33914]

Well trained and funded professional fire departments are a must! Too bad not every city and town has one. Great video quality 👍

[@jurgenkuhlmann9194]

Here we can see again that Industrial fires are more spectacular than "ordinary" apartments smouldering! So, at 5:20, a nice shoot of a Tiller Truck (I believe that's what it is) in action, which isn't needed so often to put out a house fire. Awfully sorry for the owners of many businesses who have lost everything - not the way to start the New Year, of course. Well done by the LAFD! All the best!

[@crixticallity]

Another great video as always!

[@Bobbyd0052]

GREAT JOB 90210,AS ALWAYS ! THANK YOU AND HAPPY NEW YEAR ! 🇺🇸

[@legauzz2245]

Rjejzhdbsbzbjgn)hchdhxhcciejxhlculjcdhlbxllhchchxnnz.. Q. 8jcnxejdjkd

[@DARK24-7]

We are truly lucky to have the level of people that work and put themselves on the line to handle these type of situations! Great work the FD's do all across our country!

[@pamhofmeister2531]

Awesome video. Your video is so crystle clear. Just love it. Happy New Year...🤗🤗

[@stevenstranger5688]

Love the deck guns! They can really kick out some water volume.

[@mudducke8]

They are great when they can hit the seat of the fire. Most of what I could see went over the fire.

[@alle_emergency]

Awesome video

[@lafdvalley_responsevideos]

Great footage

[@anthonyking3707]

Great work by the camera man. Awesome video. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🫡

[@nayanpanchal39]

Great video happy new year 🎉

[@PremierAutoMan86]

I still think it's crazy that a large city like Los Angeles doesn't have any tower ladders.

[@Stargazzer811]

Not part of their firefighting strategy. If you pay attention alot of Cali departments don't use towers. Seems the further west you go in the states the less of them you see, at least that's been my take. I could be entirely wrong.

[@timpula9984]

What's even crazier is that none of their ladder trucks are pre-piped to get water to a nozzle at the end of the ladder. So they waste precious minutes at each fire rigging a hose up the ladder.

[@justanotherguy1110]

@@timpula9984 I have NEVER understood this. Doesn't make any sense why they wouldn't have pre-piped waterways. Unless it's a case of "we didn't have them that way 60 years ago, so why start now"

[@90210FireBuff]

Los Angeles' streets are too narrow for tower ladders

[@eddiespain2410]

This is where a couple of Tower Ladders would be perfect but LA refuses to buy them.....

[@georgecoons6872]

hey now i wonder the same thing. the city of new york they would have at least 3 on it. themajestirium 1 youtube.

[@90210FireBuff]

The streets of Los Angeles are too narrow for Tower Ladders. That is why you almost always see tillers, except for a few LA County rearmounts.

[@carylee2002]

When is LAFD ever going to figure out to purchase Squads with Snorkels like the do in Chicago to fight fires from above ground? Having lightforces instead of snorkels and towers makes it less efficient to fight urban fires.

[@timothyreed8417]

Where would you station the snorkels and towers? The way this is designed is any piece of equipment can replace a like piece of equipment any where in the city…

[@Deion245]

Nice hope they are ok

[@thaiscalixto8917]

Parabéns pelo trabalho,você conseguiu filmar um único incêndio em 2023 e 2024 literalmente 😅 espero que não tenha ocorrido nenhuma pessoa ferida 😢

[@choprox01]

good job

[@jscott6058]

I got a question, why don’t they use tower ladders in California?

[@georgecoons6872]

LAFD has gone backwards over time.

[@jscott6058]

@@georgecoons6872 I’ve noticed,

[@michaeldescalso211]

Look for fireworks in the background in the last few minutes- must have been midnite.

[@PercyPruneMHDOIFandBars]

I'm no expert, but the strategy here seems remarkably passive. Pouring huge amounts of water onto the top of the fire is a great way to create steam, but doesn't really tackle the seat of the fire? What's the reasoning here please?

[@amandahudson431]

Scares me when any of them are on the roof!

[@user-qp3fz4hs3f]

Does LAFDjave aany rear mounts or os it just tiller time?

[@90210FireBuff]

All tillers. Only County has a few rearmounts

[@justanotherguy1110]

Never will understand how & why LA operates the way they do. Nothing but tillers & no towers, no pre-piped waterways, the list goes on. And I'm not sure what lobbing water like that with handlines is supposed to do. I really doubt it's getting much of an effect. I guess it's just proof that just because you're one of the biggest doesn't make you one of the best.

[@iamnotamushroom2880]

What do they mean by greater alarm?

[@canadagoose1480]

Not 100% sure, but I remember reading somewhere that when it goes beyond 5 Alarm, it's considered Greater Alarm

[@southlafirephotography]

70 or more firefighters assigned to the fire makes it a greater alarm. 100+ firefighters on scene makes it a major emergency fire.

[@dsudikoff]

Maybe LAFD should beg FDNY for some old Tower Ladders

[@timothyreed8417]

Where would you station them?

[@dsudikoff]

@@timothyreed8417 same place as the ladder trucks

[@timothyreed8417]

@@dsudikoff but the two pieces are not interchangeable. How would you handle a move up ? How could you make a “strike team” ?

[@dsudikoff]

@@timothyreed8417 I'm certainly not a fire department expert -- can you explain what you mean by "move up?" WRT space, I would imagine ladder truck and tower ladder are lengthwise interchangeable

[@rushturner1911]

We call those types of buildings a taxpayer but I am surprised they don’t use Tower Ladders like the FDNY does

[@user-nv6id5vo3d]

Ayusign mama papa 999 😮😮😮

[@thenussbaum44]

They finally got helmets that are in the 21st century when will they put waterways on a ladder???

[@user-nv6id5vo3d]

Ayusign mama papa 999

[@BigDuke-md8ec]

Tower ladders … just sayin

[@timothyreed8417]

Where would you station them?

[@SummerlinRealtor]

Just wondering what the percentage of all these fires are caused by the homeless? When I grew up in LA, we barely had structure fires like this. LA is a third world city.

[@90210FireBuff]

Quite a few fires in this city are due to homeless. Been to many of them myself