TAKING CHARGE MORE THAN 125 FIREFIGHTERS SUBDUE BLAZE.Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff WriterNORTHRIDGE - More than 125 firefighters were called to put out a raging fire at a cabinet manufacturer, which forced the evacuation of 50 people and threatened other buildings but caused no injuries, authorities said. The blaze on the 19400 block of Londelius Street burned through the Ideal 2000 Custom Cabinets building, sending a dark plume of smoke more than 100 feet into the air. ``We had two buildings (on both sides) that were ready to burn,'' said Rick Garcia, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. . ``We had firefighters positioned right in between them, making sure it didn't spread.'' The fire, believed to have been started by electrical equipment A piece of electrical equipment is a machine, powered by electricity and usually consists of an enclosure, a variety of electrical components and often a power switch. Examples of Electrical Equipment
v. o·ver·heat·ed, o·ver·heat·ing, o·ver·heats v.tr. 1. To heat too much. 2. To cause to become excited, agitated, or overstimulated. v.intr. , caused $500,000 damage to the structure and destroyed $500,000 worth of contents, Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Firefighters sat atop ladders, aiming hoses at the blaze, on four sides of the building, while others used hand lines to fight the flames on the ground. It took 76 minutes to extinguish. Hugo Ibarra Hugo Benjamín Ibarra (born April 1 1974 in El Colorado, Formosa) is an Argentine professional football player currently playing with Boca Juniors in Argentine first division. , who works nearby, smelled the smoke first, then he saw the flames. He grabbed a fire extinguisher fire extinguisher: see fire fighting. and headed over to the burning building. ``We were going to go to the building and put it out,'' said Ibarra, 34, from Reseda. ``But the flames were already too much.'' When firefighters arrived about five minutes after the blaze started, the building was already fully enflamed, Garcia said. Firefighters initially tried an internal attack on the fire, putting four fire companies inside the building and two companies on the roof. But flammable flam·ma·ble adj. Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; inflammable. [From Latin flamm materials used for the cabinetry business such as lacquer lacquer, solution of film-forming materials, natural or synthetic, usually applied as an ornamental or protective coating. Quick-drying synthetic lacquers are used to coat automobiles, furniture, textiles, paper, and metalware. posed a safety problem, and firefighters switched to a defensive mode, fighting the fire from outside, Garcia said. Gusty gust·y adj. gust·i·er, gust·i·est 1. Blowing in or marked by gusts: a gusty storm. 2. Characterized by sudden outbursts. , 25 mph winds also made it difficult to fight the fire, he said. The thick smoke was visible from as far away as Woodland Hills and Chatsworth. Josh Kleinbaum, (818) 713-3669 josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Water cascades down steps as a firefighter uses a hose to battle a fire at Ideal 2000 Custom Cabinets. Tom Mendoza/Special to the Daily News (2) More than 125 firefighters battled a major fire at a cabinet manufacturing business in Northridge, a blaze that forced the evacuation of 50 people. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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