Five Firefighters’ Cars Burn in Station Parking Lot Blaze

Firefighters from a Los Angeles Fire Department station in Studio City didn’t have to go far Monday to fight a brush fire near the Hollywood Freeway. The blaze came to them--destroying five of their cars in the station’s parking lot.

“It happens to other people,” said Fire Capt. Ronald Christie, whose 1984 Jeep Wagoneer was among the casualties.

“This time it happened to members of the Fire Department.”

The two-acre blaze started about 3:10 p.m. next to the freeway west of Vineland Avenue and south of Moorpark Street, he said. It was contained about 30 minutes later.

Firefighters thought that the blaze would remain west of a flood control channel that acts as a natural fire break, but sparks jumped the wash and ignited oleander bushes next to Station 86’s parking lot.

“At that point it was too much fire and too late and it just blossomed out,” Christie said. “It overwhelmed everything in its way.”

In addition to the five cars destroyed, Christie said, a sixth car and a Fire Department van suffered minor damage. There were no injuries and no structures were damaged, he said.

The cause of the blaze was unknown, but Christie speculated that it may have been started by sparks from an automobile exhaust pipe or a cigarette thrown from a car.

Christie said the fire illustrates the importance of clearing brush near structures, especially during this summer’s volatile fire conditions. He said brush near the station was at the required distance from the building--100 feet--but still was close enough to ignite the vehicles.

“It points out that we’re requiring a 100-foot clearance in the mountain areas for a definite reason,” he said. “Once a fire starts out, it’s too late. If you don’t have that clearance, you’re going to lose your house.”