USA – Fire In L.A. High-Rise Necessitates Rooftop Rescues

A fire broke out on Wednesday morning, 29 January 2020, in a 25-storey Westside residential building in Los Angeles, US. The blaze, which erupted on the sixth floor at the Barrington Plaza apartments in Wilshire Boulevard, was reported shortly after 8h30 by fire crews, who were tending a nearby blaze that had begun earlier. At least 300 fire fighters responded to help battle the fire and evacuate residents inside the building. 11 residents were injured; seven were sent to a hospital for treatment, including a three-month-old baby and four were treated at the scene. Most were suffering from smoke inhalation. Two fire fighters suffered minor burns. Residents were climbing out of windows and fleeing to the rooftop to escape the flames. While some crews focused on the fire inside, others were tasked with evacuations. At least 15 people, some in bathrobes, were airlifted to safety from the building’s rooftop. Officials said it was the first time the fire chopper had been used in rescue efforts. “This was a Herculean effort by the members of the Los Angeles Fire Department,” said Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas. “It takes a lot of coordination and our resources did a good job.” One 30-year-old man required cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and was listed in grave condition, while another 30-year-old man was in critical condition, according to Los Angeles Fire Captain Erik Scott. “The preliminary information is the two most critically injured … were both in the unit of fire origin,” Scott said.

Fire fighters took an unconventional approach in battling the flames, hosing the building from the outside in an effort to cool the units before allowing fire fighters to tackle the flames inside. The bulk of the fire was on the sixth floor of the 240-unit high-rise, though three other levels were damaged by smoke, officials said. After an intense, hour long battle that was made more challenging by strong winds gusting up to 35mph, fire fighters were able to knock down the flames shortly before 10h00. Deputy Police Chief Justin Eisenberg said the Los Angeles Police Department and arson investigators were studying the blaze to determine whether it was criminal or accidental. No one has been arrested in connection with the fire, he said. The separate fire that started earlier in the morning about three blocks away also is part of the investigation. Fire officials said residents won’t be allowed back into the building overnight while they investigate the blaze, which was deemed suspicious. Officials have said that there is no indication the fire was caused by anyone smoking inside or that it broke out in a unit rented as an Airbnb.

Smoke billowed through fire doors into stairwells crowded with panicked neighbours scrambling to get down and fire fighters running up. During the rooftop evacuation, a rescuer helped attach each person to a line and they were hoisted into a hovering helicopter one by one. At one point, fire fighters lifted a small white dog into the helicopter. Deputy Fire Chief Armando Hogan said the fire was put out about 90 minutes after fire fighters responded. Hogan said one man was hanging onto the edge of the building contemplating jumping when fire fighters managed to reach him and talk him out of it, then pull him to safety.

Fire officials initially reported that some people had jumped from the building to escape the flames. Authorities later clarified that two people contemplated jumping but were rescued by fire fighters. Residents crawled on their bellies through thick smoke to escape. One man was seen clinging to a ledge before a fire ladder was hoisted up to him. “This could have been much worse,” Scott said.

Barrington Plaza is not equipped with a sprinkler system. Because it was built nearly 60 years ago, it does not fall under state regulations later adopted that forced buildings taller than 75 feet to include such fire-suppression systems unless granted an exemption. Los Angeles has a loophole in its fire code that allows 71 residential high-rises to house tenants despite having no fire sprinklers in the buildings. The structures were built between 1943 and 1974, when new codes required sprinklers. There have been repeated attempts to require older buildings to install sprinkler systems, including a push after Barrington Plaza’s last fire but landlords at the time argued they would cost too much.

With the flames doused, fire fighters were going through the building to check on occupants. “Right now, we’re doing a floor-to-floor search to make sure people are OK,” Hogan said.