Burbank firefighters were kept busy Wednesday afternoon when two commercial businesses had a fire breakout within 45 minutes of each other. With mutual aid’s assistance, Burbank Fire had no problems dealing with both fires.
Firefighters reported seeing smoke in the area of Glenoaks and Olive at 4:42 pm Wednesday and started to head to the area as dispatchers were receiving the call. One on scene they found a canopy in the rear of Bouvardia fully involved in flames with some fire showing from the right side. There were also live power lines down at the scene, making the firefight even more hazardous.
According to Battalion Chief David Burke of the Burbank Fire Department, “First arriving crews reported heavy fire showing from a patio area located to the rear of a one-story business. BFD crews quickly attacked the fire, and a knockdown occurred at 5:07 PM. The fire was contained to the building of origin, with one minor injury to a firefighter and no reported injuries to civilians.”
At the same time, firefighters from both Glendale and Pasadena were fighting a small brush fire in Glendale, so when additional engines were requested to the scene, Burbank used the mutual aid system to request help from L.A. City Fire, which dispatched a Battalion Chief along with Task Force 60. As they became available, engines from Glendale and a truck from Pasadena were sent to Burbank to staff their stations in case of another emergency.
That emergency occurred at 5:27 pm when firefighters received a call of a possible propane tank on fire at the Las Casitas Assisted Living facility in the 1600 block of Hollywood Way. Once again, firefighters spotted smoke from a distance and immediately asked for a full assignment of firefighters to be dispatched to the scene.
“First arriving crews reported the fire to the rear of a one-story assisted living facility. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the fire was an outside fire located in a side yard of the occupancy. Fire crews attacked the fire, and a knockdown was achieved at 5:57 PM. Fire crews determined that there was no extension to the adjacent buildings,” said Burke.
Mutual aid was also involved in making quick work of the fire. Staff had evacuated all of the residents and everyone was accounted for and according to Burke, “There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.”
Burbank police were also busy handling traffic control at both locations as well as Burbank Water and Power, who also assisted at both scenes in securing the utilities.
The causes of both fires are still under investigation.
Images from the fire at Bravardi restaurant in the 100 block of Glenoaks (Photos by Ross A. Benson)
Images from the fire at Las Casitas Assisted Living on Hollywood Way (Photos by Ross A. Benson)
