A small fire that ignited in the basement of Dodd Hall at UCLA this morning has been knocked down. Heavy black smoke was first seen shortly after 10 a.m. coming from the instructional building's elevator shaft. It took 25 firefighters 25 minutes to extinguish the fire, but they'll be standing by as they do smoke removal on the second and third floors by opening windows and using fans to cross ventilate. No injuries have been......

A brush fire has been reported north of Porter Ranch on top of Oat Mountain in the Santa Susana mountain range. Callers, observing the fire from the Wilbur-Tampa Park/Limekiln Cyn area, told dispatchers the blaze was in remote "oil fields," but LAFD officials said the natural gas storage facility located inside nearby mountains is completely safe at this time. Oat Mountain with its 3700 foot mountain peak is supposedly the tallest in the Santa Susana......

As seen from Oceanside, smoke from a fire on Camp Pendleton fills (AP Photo/San Diego Union -Tribune/Charlie Neuman) Throughout the morning, the phones at the LA Fire Department dispatch center have been ringing off the hook, prompting officials to release an LAFD Alert: "Smoke from the current wildfire in Camp Pendleton is now notable in many parts of Los Angeles," Brian Humphrey wrote. Over the phone with LAist, he did emphasize that if you......

View Larger Map UPDATE, 1:58 A.M.: This story has been updated and can be read in full here. UPDATE, 11:28 P.M.: The LA Fire Department is reporting that a total of four homes with seven people have been evacuated with no injuries. They are currently working to stabilize and protect the homes below.At 9:57 p.m. tonight, a large hillside water main break was reported to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Possibly threatening homes in the......

Vitals details in the killings of two South LA residents who were found shot to death in their 11th Ave apartment remain unknown. The LAPD was notified late Monday afternoon of gunshots heard, and soon after discovered the bodies of Shelton Sumerall, 32, and Monica Youngblood, 23, both of whom suffered fatal shots to their heads. The motive and a shooting suspect have not been determined. A Van Nuys man was stabbed yesterday when he......

Phew! Today, be thankful this is not you. Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger said this at one point: "I love Thanksgiving turkey... it's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts." Parking in Beverly Hills is now a little better, just in time for Holiday shopping. Four parking structures will double their free parking from one to two hours. Residents, merchants and New York City retailers are rejoicing. 167 people in Riverside County......

Late this morning, a fire struck the delicious and affordable Taste of India restaurant in Sherman Oaks, a few blocks West of Woodman on Ventura Blvd. It took 40 firefighters 31 minutes to contain the fire in ventilation duct work. There were no injuries. Traffic on Ventura Blvd. was shut down in both directions for two blocks forcing motorists to clog the allies north and south of Ventura Blvd. It is unknown at this......

Current Carolla co-pilot Danny Bonaduce will not be charged with felony battery for tossing "Survivor" contestant Jonny Fairplay onto a stage at the Fox Reality Really Awards Monday. Prosecutors said Fairplay "initiated contact and acted offensively." How much of a dude is Bonaduce for throwing a guy on a stage and getting the prosecutors to say the other guy was offensive? A man died today after his plane crashed into the median divider at......

Today in major LA Fire Department events: an early morning structure fire in North Hills sending smoke into the flight path of Van Nuys Airport, a big rig with a trailer overturned on the Southbound Harbor freeway causing a Sig Alert, and a medical emergency in the Hilton Hotel at Universal City where staff mixed ammonia & bleach solutions creating hydrochloric acid (oops!). Is it the second Thursday of the month? Ah, it is!......

Today, notable incidents for the LA Fire Department included mutual aid with the LA County Fire Department for a brush fire at the 14 and 5 freeway junction and a near drowning of an 8-year-old boy at a public pool off of Foothill Blvd. He was saved by lifeguards and airlifted to a hospital. A small plane crashed in Kern County with 4 adults and two children, all residents of Santa Monica. Another tornado......

People talk shit about our local paper. Sometimes we're the ones talking shit. But every day there's gotta be ten things that you can learn from the Times. Right? 1. Houston's in Century City doesn't do reservations but accepts "call ins". 2. Rancho Cucamonga's mayor was once a heroin addict. 3. The Times uses Wikipedia as one of its sources. 4. Two people arguing at a Laguna Beach resort were shot and killed by......

- UCLA Hoops is #1... wait it's nowhere near March - SI - LA Fire Department's Hottest Holiday Gifts - LAFD Blog - Hey Pervy High School Teachers: Here's a List of the Age of Consent around the World - Avert.org - Hey Now... it's TV Land's 100 Greatest TV Quotes - PR Newswire - Tony Soprano hurt while getting head-butted - ContactMusic - Sometimes you want to sign up for something on the......

LA Fire Department blog lets us know that "all fireworks, even the so-called "safe and sane" variety are illegal in the City of Los Angeles, and have been outlawed since World War II!" We hope you recognize that exclaimation mark. The problem is, that poster looks so cool we want to re-create it. And then blow it up real good. - LAFD Don't know what to listen to while you're not letting off fireworks?......

target this - 46 cities will be getting counterterrorism grants in a new round of funding from the Department of Homeland Security. The good news is, we're on the list. The bad news is they're only passing out a total of $270 million. adding insult to injury - A woman who paid $125,000 to a Beverly Hills matchmaker sued after not finding the right guy. Yesterday she was awarded $2.1 million in the case......

Ever wondered why all those police cars were on your street last week? Do you miss detailed crime blotters from your local small town paper? Last Thursday, LAPD announced the redesign of their already slick site with even more slick features such as dynamic Crime Maps and E-Policing. That's right, just type in your address and view incidents in your neighborhood. Sign up for E-Policing and get e-mail updates from your SLO (that's police......