Early this morning, a fire involving an electric forklift prompted the evacuation of nearby areas in Northridge. According to a CBS Los Angeles report, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at approximately 7:30 a.m. at the Sunbelt Rentals property located on W. Napa Street. The LAFD HAZMAT crews were called in for air monitoring due to the fire at the commercial equipment yard.
LAFD officials allowed the forklift to burn itself out while ensuring the protection of nearby structures. Aerial footage captured around 9 a.m. revealed smoke billowing from the equipment, but no injuries have been reported in this incident. As a precaution, evacuations were carried out in the surrounding area of the event.
Further details were provided in a Los Angeles Fire Department alert, which indicated that the forklift was "well involved with fire" and located outside of the building. Firefighting teams worked diligently to safeguard adjacent properties from the blaze.
According to firefighters at the scene, the blaze was contained and did not pose an immediate risk to larger areas of Northridge. HAZMAT crews continued to monitor the air quality to ensure the safety of residents and business owners near 18251 W Napa St, where the incident took place. The quick response by LAFD helped avert what could have been a more severe situation.
