Results tagged “rescue”

5 people who did not heed mandatory evacuation orders to leave their homes in the Gold Canyon area in the path of the Station Fire are now "trapped in a canyon and it's too dangerous to rescue them," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has announced, according to cbs2.com. The four men and one woman called for help today, after having elected against orders to remain in the area.

In what appears to be an accident, a 24-year-old man died yesterday evening after he apparently climbed the fence near the cliffs of Point Fermin Park in San Pedro. The fence is there for a very good reason, but numerous people have fallen, often to their death, at the park over the years. Fire department rescues at this location almost seem routine.

A small plane was reported as being seen hitting the water yesterday approximately 25 miles off the coast between Oceanside and San Clemente Island, according to abc7.com. The Coast Guard says as of this morning, "rescue boats have yet to find survivors or bodies." Three rescue boats and a helicopter were in use early this morning as part of the search for survivors. "Federal Aviation Administration officials believe the plane took off from San Diego's Montgomery Field," but no confirmation has been made about the aircraft, its origin, destination, or passengers.

Three men were swept into the ocean this afternoon below the cliffs of Point Fermin in San Pedro. Two of them were able to escape to shore with relatively little injury, but one had to be rescued by a Los Angeles Fire Department boat. He's listed in critical condition. Rescues around Point Fermin are pretty common as the area seems much safer than it actually is.

Oprah this morning spoke to Rob Lowe on the phone about the "Tea Fire" burning two miles from her home in Montecito near Santa Barbara. Lowe, who also lives in the neighborhood, was home last night when the fire began, but knew nothing of it until his wife called. "This thing came on so fast, you wouldn't believe it... I walked out [my door] and my jaw just dropped," he explained to Oprah. He did not smell any smoke because of the wind direction. Lowe helped pry open the gates at a neighbors house to rescue them. Lowe's house was undamaged when he spoke to Oprah. KNX1070 has the full audio.

Mayor Villaraigosa released this statement late this morning while ordering all flags in the city to be lowered for the second time in three days: "Less than 24 hours after the crash, our number one priority remains rescuing victims, caring for the injured and connecting with the families still missing their loved ones. Our brave firefighters and police officers will work tirelessly until every person is found. Today, the thoughts and prayers of the people of Los Angeles are with the families who suffered loss last night and those still waiting for their loved ones to come home."

• Metrolink train #111 on the Ventura Line departed from Union Station and was headed to Moorpark; the train had left the Chatsworth station when it struck or was struck by a Union Pacific freight car at 4:23 p.m. near Heather Lee Lane, south of the 118 Freeway. The fire that ignited after the collision was quickly put out, and any concerns of hazardous materials were resolved early on.
• The LAPD is saying they believe at least 20 people are dead; an estimated 50-70 people are reported as injured. The train is estimated to have had 350-400 passengers on board. According to Mayor Villaraigosa, who spoke to the press just after 8 tonight, there were 10 confirmed dead and the number is expected to grow.
• Rescue operations are ongoing as of this time and have not yet converted to recovery, although the dogs trained to search out the deceased have been deployed.
• The LAPD issued a city-wide full tactical alert, and the rescue and aid operations have involved personnel from multiple local agencies. The LAFD is leading the unified command.
• Triage areas set up near the scene were said to be operating as expected and worked efficiently to assess the injured into 3 major categories and administer care or arrange for transport to hospitals all over the city, as needed. Victims were taken to multiple hospitals, including Northridge, Holy Cross, Cedars Sinai, and Children's Hospital.
• Family members seeking information regarding relatives on board the train may call 800-371-5465.
• Rescue work is ongoing, and is expected to continue into the night.
• An MTA Metrolink structural engineer has been called in to discuss movement of the overturned car and the separation of the affected rail cars

Rescue personnel are still in the process of assisting people involved in this afternoon's Metrolink train derailment. Triage areas are set up near the scene in Chatsworth as people continue to be assessed and aided following the collision that took place at 4:23 this afternoon when Metrolink #111 struck or was struck by a freight train. 4 people are reported dead, and many more have been injured. A SigAlert has been issued for the area as well, and Metrolink and emergency personnel are asking that people not attempt to go to the scene themselves.

  

Yes, he is. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Fire Department received a call that someone was in the riverbed at Laurel Canyon Blvd. and Valleyheart Dr; (just north of Ventura) in Studio City. An LAist reader sent in these photos saying he was either pushed or that he jumped and that it didn't look like he made it.

We just spoke to Ed Boks, the general manager of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department. He said that the department's Wildlife Manager identified the injured bird in the Venice Beach rescue post as a Night Heron (congrats to Will Campbell for being the closest to guessing what it was in the comments section).

       

Yesterday evening at sunset, the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived to Ocean Front Walk at Venice Blvd. on a bird rescuing mission. A caller from her fourth story patio saw a seagull (gannet? heron?) dangling in a palm tree across the walk and called Animal Services, who in turn called for the help of a fire truck ladder. Here's what happened...

Yesterday, two men visiting Los Angeles took a hike in Griffith Park and before they knew it, it was dark. Probably not a place for night hiking if don't know your way around, especially with the constant tease of being within sight of the city lights below, but many cliff jumps away.

When you read something you like on LAist, we love it when you hit the "recommend" button, and we love it even more if you put your two cents' worth in the comments. Getting a dialog going with our readers and making sure we're giving you content you can use are top priorities for us. So here's this week's top posts, as endorsed by you via the recommend feature, or as indicated by the level of talk going on in the comments:

Local cyclists on the Tuesday Night Bicykillers Bike Ride were giving a "no-show" rider a hard time on the Midnight Ridazz forum, but when they heard the rider's excuse, it left them apologizing and genuflecting. Here's what happened Tuesday night, a personal account from the rider, Mark Oshiro, himself:

*UPDATE: Saturday, 2:45 p.m.*

Over the weekend we told you about the 400 animals rescued from a Lancaster ranch, and the need for help with donations or adoptions to save the many abused and neglected animals. One of the volunteers who was at the ranch helping with the rescue, Laura Gunn shared with us an update and the photos she took of some of the dogs who were found there--many of whom still need good homes.

Earlier this week members of The Gentle Barn's Rescue Staff discovered hundreds of animals from a ranch in Lancaster, reports CBS2. They posted the story of the discovery, and a plea for help on Craigslist: "On Monday, January 14, 2008 Gentle Barn Rescue Staff arrived on scene at a property in Lancaster, CA that, from a far, just looked like some fences and trees. As we got closer, it became a city of cages made out of chain link with approximately 400 animals in the worst case scenario." The man who lived on the property and had originally brought all the animals, including dogs and other farm animals, to the ranch, couldn't be located.

The Oxnard youth was fishing from the rock when he may have been pulled into the ocean by a rogue wave. The young man's family witnessed him go under the water, and he has not been seen since, according to the Ventura County Fire Department Web site.The high surf forced authorities to call off the search last night.