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Fire Debris Assessment
1040 & 1042 South Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, California 90015
“Your timing has
been more than
impressive, the
property owner
himself was only
notified of the fire
two hours ago. ”
On June 6, 2008 at 4:50am, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) arrived at a fully
engulfed warehouse fire in the Garment District of Downtown Los Angeles. The
affected City streets were closed as the firefighters fought the fire for over two hours.
During the remainder of the day, firefighters at the property put down flare-ups and
removed smoldering debris from the structure. By 6:00pm, all of the debris removed
from the structure was stockpiled on South Los Angeles Street and in traffic lanes.
LAFD then turned responsibility of the site and debris over to the property owner.
Chief Ron Lem,
Andersen Environmental project specialists arrived onsite at 2:00pm and began
collecting samples of the soaked charred debris. The samples were then couriered to a
local State Certified asbestos laboratory. The sample analysis was complete at
approximately 1:00am while Andersen Environmental was communicating directly
with AQMD Staff as well as preparing the required disposal handling protocols and
paperwork. Due to the quick response and considerable experience of Andersen
Environmental, clearance to remove the debris was given and the street was again
open to traffic by rush hour the following morning.
LA Fire Department
Event Details:
• Fire burned a two story building
with 10 retail spaces resulting in 314
tons of fire debris.
“Your actions of
making sure all the
debris is gone in the
morning before the
morning commute
shows your
commitment to the
project.”
Richard Tambara,
AQMD
• 175 Fire Fighters responded;
extinguishing the blaze at 6:42am.
Challenges / Accomplishments:
• A debris pile the height of a two
story building on South Los
Angeles Street in the heart of
Downtown Los Angeles.
• Sample analysis and AQMD
approval for the removal of 314
tons of debris within 24 hours.