Firefighters in Woodland Hills battled a blaze at a residential building Thursday afternoon, with flames reportedly visible from the second floor. According to a Los Angeles Fire Department alert, a two-story townhouse located at 22133 W Burbank Bl in Woodland Hills exhibited smoke emanating from its second story, prompting an emergency response from the department.
It took the efforts of 63 firefighters just over an hour to entirely quell the fire, which took refuge in the common walls and attic of a fourplex, affecting two rooms. The precise origin point of the fire was a unit that was largely unfurnished and under significant renovation at the time, including active plumbing work that involved the use of a torch. "No injury" was reported in a subsequent LAFD alert following the extinguishing of the flames.
While there were no injuries from the incident, the fire inflicted damage to the housing complex which contains four adjoining townhomes. Officials have yet to announce the definitive cause of the fire, but have noted that hot-work, such as torch use for plumbing, was being conducted just before the fire broke out.
LAFD personnel are actively evaluating the recovery needs for occupants of the four impacted townhomes. Investigators remain on scene, looking into the circumstances that led to the fire, with particular consideration toward the renovation activities at the unit of fire origin. The assessment takes a comprehensive approach, considering not only the structural damages but also the resident's displacement due to the fire.
