There have been a few small brush fires throughout the Southland in the past week, and as we head into summer, the threat of more, and larger, blazes is imminent. To that end, local authorities are urging residents in brush-dense communities to take on the important task of clearing their properties in preparation for fire season. more ›

Thanks to cool temps overnight and calmer winds, firefighters have been able to achieve 62% containment of the Crown Fire that has been burning in the Palmdale area since Thursday afternoon, according to LA Now. more ›

Unaware of how serious a threat the advancing fire posed, two LA County firefighters were killed during last year's massive Station Fire when their truck fell 800 feet off the side of a fire road south of Acton. A report released yesterday by the Los Angeles County Fire Department "blames poor communication as a major factor" in the August 30th deaths of Arnaldo Quinones and Tedmund Hall, according to the Star-News. more ›

Glynn Johnson, the 55-year-old former L.A. County Assistant Fire Chief accused of beating a puppy to death and later found guilty, was sentenced to 90 days--to be served on weekends--of jail and 3 years probation today, according to the LA Times. He used his fists and a 12-pound rock on the mixed breed shepherd after he was bitten when returning the dog to neighbors. Karley, the 6-month-old dog had escaped into the neighborhood, but some believed the violence that ensued had deeper roots--Johnson and the owners had a long-standing feud over various issues more ›

In response to this weekend's massive 8.8 quake off the coast of Chile, " Los Angeles County Fire’s world-class Heavy Rescue Task Force, has been mobilized for deployment to Chile to help rescue and recover earthquake victims..." more ›

Back in November 2008, Glynn Johnson, a former LA County Assistant Fire Chief, was accused of beating a puppy with his fists and a 12-pound rock after he was bit. He was returning the canine back to neighbors in his Riverside County neighborhood when the incident happened. Karley, a mixed breed shepherd, was later euthanized. Johnson and neighbors had a long-standing feud over various issues and animal groups pressured the District Attorney to prosecute Johnson, who was found guilty of animal cruelty and using a deadly weapon today, according to the LA Times. Lawyers for Johnson said that, six months-old or not, Karley was big enough to do damage. more ›

The team of Los Angeles County search & rescue specialists deployed to Haiti have already rescued a handful of people from the rubble. The trip has been an opportunity for L.A. County to catch up with the LAFD in entering Web 2.0 with a new Twitter account and Facebook page, which has been mostly keeping residents up to date with the rescue efforts, but also some local information bout the current rainstorm. more ›

Members of Los Angeles County Urban Search and Rescue Team arrived in Haiti yesterday and are at work, helping locate and free trapped victims of Tuesday's devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake. more ›

Aid from the US is mobilizing and heading to Haiti to help the earthquake-ravaged nation with search and rescue operations, and teams from both Los Angeles and Orange counties are part of the effort. more ›

Just three hours after the large 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti just before 2 p.m. PST, Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel are already mobilizing in case they are needed to fly out and offer aid. The 72-member team, made up of Urban Search and Rescue specialists, is referred to as California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2). more ›

View KTLA Season of Sharing Dropoff Locations 2009 in a larger map more ›

The Station Fire began on August 26th along the roadside in the Angeles National Forest above the community of La Cañada-Flintridge, and soon after its fiery grip held the city in its clutches, authorities deemed the start point a crime scene and launched an arson investigation. But so far there isn't much to stoke the embers of the case, as it were, thanks to a lack of information about the incident. more ›

It's a girl for Lori Quinones, the widow of Los Angeles County Fire Fighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones, one of the two firefighters who died on August 30 while fighting the Station Fire. Sophia Grace Quinones was born at 11:21 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22, in the Women and Children’s Center at Antelope Valley Hospital (AVH). Sophia arrived at 8lbs 2oz, and according to Mrs. Quinones "has her mother’s eyes and her father’s hair, nose, lips and fingers." more ›

On Sunday word came that two Los Angeles County firefighters lost their lives while on duty battling the Station Fire. Captain Tedmund "Ted" Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones tragically lost their lives when they were overrun by a fast moving fire which approached where they were working at Fire Camp 16. The vehicle in which the firefighters were driving towards safety went over the edge of a mountainside road. "Their untimely death on August 30, 2009 has been a shock for [the] Department," adds the LACFD. more ›

Hard Summer was supposed to go all night at the Forum in Inglewood last night, and the sold out event had the venue packed (it seats 18,000). But for some reason, before things could even get too intense, the event was shut down by authorities. LA Times' music blog Pop & Hiss explains:

Saturday's all-night electronic event Hard Summer at the Forum was shut down by midnight. The event was declared a "hazard" by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, according to an Inglewood police representative. Based on the county department's recommendation, Hard Summer was called off. [...] more ›

A fire reported yesterday afternoon around 3:47 p.m. near the Marshall Canyon Golf Course in La Verne is now fully contained, after raging through 95 acres of "thick, heavy brush" that made for challenging work for LA County Fire to combat. Now, authorities have "determined the blaze was the product of arson because it started in two places near a dirt road close to the golf course," according to the Daily News. more ›

A brush fire is burning this afternoon in the Angeles National Forest near Little Tujunga Road, according to e-mail and txt alerts. The wildfire has burned 20 acres, and at this time is reportedly about 20% contained. Because the fire falls under the Angeles National Forest (ANF) jurisdiction, the firefighting response requires mutual aid. LA County says there are about 100 firefighters along with air support on scene, and winds are moderate. Earlier today the LAFD worked quickly to put out a small brush fire in Elysian Park. more ›

This weekend's Fourth of July holiday and the many celebrations taking place all over Los Angeles means that it's time to remind the non-professional pyrotech-ies that fireworks are, in fact, not only illegal, but also dangerous. The Daily News quotes County Fire Captain Mike Brown, who says: "The use of fireworks not only can cause fires, but can result in severe injuries and burns if not used properly." more ›

The Agoura Hills brush fire, now known as the "Lost Fire," grew to 75 acres before firefighters knocked it down at 4:30 p.m., according to Brendon Peart, Supervising Fire Dispatcher for LA County Fire. No people or structures were damaged and all evacuations were voluntary. more ›