A commercial building fire at 14707 W. Keswick St. in Van Nuys was knocked down by 37 firefighters in 40 minutes, with no injuries reported.
The LAFD posted a knockdown alert Saturday night.
The alert was timestamped 10:34 PM Saturday, Oct. 3. Crews moved in with hose lines in an offensive attack to extinguish the fire, a strategy that puts firefighters directly inside or adjacent to the burning structure to knock down flames quickly rather than fighting defensively from the outside. The incident was logged as INC#1686, and the response pulled in 18 separate fire units — including engine, truck, rescue ambulance, and battalion command resources identified as AR1, BC10, BC712, E239, E289, E298, E39, E7, E81, E89, EM15, RA39, RA73, RA93, RA98, T39, T89, and T98.
Local Fire Station, Regional Command Structure
The response fell under LAFD Fire Station 81, located at 14355 Arminta Street in Panorama City, which serves as the primary responding station for this stretch of the San Fernando Valley, according to the LAFD Foundation. The station relocated to its current Arminta Street facility in 2007 to improve emergency coverage across Panorama City and eastern Van Nuys.
Incident command was handled by LAFD Battalion 10, headquartered at 14415 Sylvan Street in Van Nuys, which oversees emergency operations across nine fire stations in the central San Fernando Valley, per a CERT-LA roster. The response also drew on Operations Valley Bureau.
Cause Still Under Investigation
With the fire out, LAFD arson investigators have taken over the scene to determine what started it. Those investigators are sworn peace officers under California Penal Code Section 830.37(a), which grants them statutory powers of search, arrest, and evidence seizure during fire origin investigations, according to a classification profile from PORAC. They complete PC 832 and arson-investigator courses through a CAL FIRE-certified training agency, as well as law-enforcement-related training with LAPD. The cause of the Keswick Street blaze remains under investigation, with no determination yet announced.
An overhaul phase can involve opening walls and ceilings to extinguish hidden embers and reduce the risk of reignition.
The incident occurred within Los Angeles City Council District 6, according to the City of Los Angeles.
Recent Valley Fire Activity
Saturday's fire added to LAFD crews' workload in the area. The response involved 18 units.
A recent multi-business blaze on Sepulveda Boulevard was among fires handled by Battalion 10 and the Valley Bureau in Van Nuys and nearby neighborhoods. No further updates on the Keswick Street fire's cause have been released.
