Supermarket Doomed by Delayed Alarm
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Staff Correspondent
A delayed alarm in a North Hollywood, Calif., supermarket gave a storeroom fire the start needed to destroy the entire structure.
Damage to the Hughes Market, 6557 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, in the Valley Plaza area, was estimated at $1.5 million.
The market manager smelled smoke on the mezzanine and investigated. Seeing more smoke, attempts were made with extinguishers to control the fire burning in the attic area. Failing to stop the fire, the employees ran to an adjacent drugstore and called in the alarm.
More units called
The Los Angeles City fire operations control division received the alarm at 9:42 a.m. last July 10 and dispatched Task Forces 89 and 60 and Chief Frank Fasmer of Battalion 14. Approaching the Fire at 9:47, Fasmer saw its extent and called for two more task forces and two triples. Task Forces 49 and 88 and Engines 77 and 86 were dispatched.
The chief ordered his crews to aggressively attack inside with portable monitors while Trucks 60,89,39 and 88 rigged ladder pipes.
The second alarm brought Assistant Chief Jakes Dukes, who on arrival ordered all personnel out of the structure just prior to its collapse. Sparks were blown by a slight breeze into the residential area to the north of the shopping center, so Dukes called for a helicopter to look for roof fires and two engine companies for patrol.
“Our men did their best to control the fire inside,” Dukes reported, “but I knew that the building was too far gone to save and we had best concentrate on exposures.”
Work atop roof
Fire fighters scrambled to the roof of the drugstore immediately south of the market and used deluge sets. Both the market and drugstore had Fire walls.
Meanwhile, residents watered their roofs as the burning embers flew northward. Fire on one roof was quickly spotted by the helicopter and controlled by one of the patrolling engines.
In all, 18 units and 125 men worked for more than an hour and a half before the fire was controlled. In addition to Dukes, L. A. City’s newly appointed Chief Engineer John Gerard and Deputy Chief of Operations Junior Parker also responded.
At 1 p.m., Dukes requested additional companies to relieve the first-in units for overhaul.
Photo by Mike Meadows
