A Pacoima salvage yard went up in flames Thursday afternoon, sending a dark column of smoke over the North San Fernando Valley and triggering a major response from the Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews reported multiple vehicles burning and quickly shifted into a defensive posture as they worked to corral the fire.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the incident was logged as General Fire [Salvage Yard], Inc#1315 after calls started coming in around 4:43 p.m. The blaze broke out at 12119 W. Branford St. in Pacoima, with roughly 10 vehicles reportedly on fire. LAFD said firefighters were operating "in a defensive mode with heavy streams," and multiple battalion, engine and truck companies from the Valley Bureau were dispatched to the scene.
Why crews opted for a defensive attack
Salvage yards come with a grab bag of hazards: stacked cars, gasoline and other fluids, and tight, cluttered spaces that can turn into traps. Those conditions often push firefighters to keep their distance and rely on heavy water streams instead of sending crews deep inside the yard.
In a similar Pacoima salvage-yard blaze in early May, LAFD deployed HazMat resources and said crews took "extra precaution for the possibility of EV vehicles," highlighting how electric-vehicle batteries and contaminated runoff can complicate the response, as reported by CBS Los Angeles.
What officials say and what comes next
LAFD's initial alert listed the fire in the Valley Bureau and Council District 7 and showed multiple battalion and engine resources committed to the incident. There was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze or any injuries. Fire investigators typically move in once crews declare knockdown, and officials indicated that further updates will be posted on the department's X feed as the situation develops.
