At 4:51 p.m. (PST), 28 companies of Los Angeles city firefighters, eight rescue ambulances, one arson unit, one rehab unit, one helicopter, three EMS battalion captains, three battalion chief officer command teams, one division chief officer command team, four brush patrols, one LAFD foam tender, and various other supporting companies all under the direction of Deputy Chief Mario Rueda responded to an LAPD Bomb Squad standby at 7955 N. Haskell Ave. in Van Nuys Airport/North Hills.
The Los Angeles Police Department had discovered approximately fifty pounds of dynamite stored inside of a refrigerator, located inside a commercial building. Upon examination of the dynamite, it was determined to have become so degraded and unstable as to be extremely hazardous to attempt to remove the explosives from the building. A decision was made to conduct a controlled burn of the structure in an effort to incinerate the dynamite and render it harmless.
Firefighters took several actions to prepare the structure for the controlled burn, in an effort to limit damage and protect adjacent occupancies. The preparation included precutting ventilation holes in the roof, applying Barricade fire retardant gel to exposures and removing combustibles where safely possible. In addition, apparatus and heavy stream appliances were pre-positioned to provide the most effective firefighting strategy available while still providing for firefighter safety. All firefighters and other individuals were evacuated to a distance of 1000 feet to prevent injuries should an explosion occur. LAFD personnel were ordered to wear full personal protective gear including ballistic vests to prevent injuries.
The structure was ignited at approximately 6:23 a.m. on December 21, 2005. Firefighters and law enforcement personnel allowed the building to free burn until such time that Bomb Squad personnel believed that the dynamite was rendered harmless. The fire was controlled using master streams and hand lines on a limited basis. When the fire was extinguished, the LAPD Bomb Squad evaluated the explosives and determined them to have been rendered harmless. Due to planning and extensive structural preparation prior to igniting the fire, the incident hazard was abated with minimal damage to adjacent businesses or structures. There were no reported injuries. The dollar loss is still being tabulated. The incident is under investigation by LAFD and LAPD officials. Four individuals were arrested by LAPD in connection with this event.
