LOS ANGELES, CA – A fire in an electrical vault at a three-story apartment building in Highland Park displaced 40 people early Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The fire was reported at 4:16 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5618 E. Meridian St., in the 5600 block of Meridian Street near Avenue 56. No injuries were reported, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an incident alert on the fire.
The building has two residential floors above parking, according to the alert. The vault that caught fire held the meters for the apartment units.
The LAFD said 40 individuals were displaced because of the power outage. The department notified the American Red Cross and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Vault fire exposes apartment and office
According to the LAFD, the electrical vault with meters to the apartment units was on fire, “exposing the 2nd floor apartment and 1st floor office.” The department listed the incident as a structure fire at the Meridian Street address.
Firefighters operated in offensive mode, the alert states. That is the department’s own description of how crews fought the fire at the building.
The alert reports no injuries to residents or to firefighters.
Knockdown declared at 4:30 a.m.
The incident commander declared a knockdown at 4:30 a.m., according to the LAFD. The alert says: “Meridian IC declared a knockdown at 0430 hours.”
That was 14 minutes after the 4:16 a.m. report of the fire. The LAFD later updated its alert to show the structure fire as out under incident number INC#0233.
40 residents displaced by the outage
The 40 people displaced were affected because of the power outage, the LAFD said in its alert, which states “40 individuals displaced due to power outage.” The department gave that as the reason for the displacement.
The department notified the American Red Cross about the displaced residents. It also notified the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power about the outage.
The LAFD had not said when the displaced residents could return to their apartments.
LADWP says power is restored
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said Thursday that its repairs were finished. In a statement addressed to Highland Park residents, LADWP said: “Our crews have completed repairs and restored power to your community.”
The statement came after the LAFD’s alert on the vault fire and the resulting outage. It describes the restoration as covering the community rather than only the apartment building.
Structure fires in Los Angeles
The LAFD responds to a large number of structure fires each year. The department responded to 4,109 structure fire incidents in 2019, an average of 11.3 per day, according to the department’s own 2019 summary.
The Highland Park fire is one of those responses. The LAFD’s alert treats it as a single structure fire in an electrical vault, and it does not link the blaze to any other incident.
Cause remains under investigation
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the LAFD’s alert does not give one.
For now, the department reports a vault fire knocked down in about 14 minutes, no injuries and 40 displaced residents, and LADWP says power to the community has been restored.
