Eaton Fire: A rebuilding journey

Photo by Gamma Infinity via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr During the battle to tame a blaze that broke out late last night at a home in the 1500 block of North Viewsite Drive, near the Sunset Plaza area of the Hollywood Hills a ceiling collapse left several LA City firefighters injured, including one veteran of the Department who is "battling for his life" today, according to LA Now. Of those injured,...

An early morning fire in the 700 block of Kingman Avenue in Santa Monica left two people slightly injured, and the police with a potential pot-growing operation case to consider. The fire was reported at 6:43 this morning in the three-story home, reports the Daily Breeze, and took 77 minutes to knock down. When the scene was cleared, authorities discovered some marijuana plants growing inside the home, and an investigation was launched "determine if...

A carport fire at an apartment building in Los Feliz left four vehicles destroyed and another eight melted, according to KTLA. The fire was reported early this morning in the 4500 block of Los Feliz Boulevard. Some of the windows in the above apartment units were blown out, though no one was injured. Arson investigators were called to the scene, according to a report aired on CBS2, however they have not yet determined how...

A fire in a home in the North San Gabriel Valley led authorities to discover a marijuana growing operation of about 1,700 plants, according to the Star-News. The fire was sparked by a compost pile in the living room. In the San Gabriel Valley, authorities say it's a growing practice to see homes gutted to make room for equipment and marijuana plants that will become the pot sold at dispensaries. An LA County Sheriff's...

Photo by RobeRt Vega via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Autumn is such a tease here in Southern California; forget those chilly, rainy days a couple of weeks ago. We're having a heat wave! Hot temps and winds are hitting the region today, and the heat is expected to last through Thursday, says L.A. Now, with forecasters predicting "temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal." Santa Ana winds plus high temperatures means...

Firefighters dousing a small one-acre grass fire in the northern part of the Angeles National Forest this morning found a body among the ashes. The unidentified corpse was discovered around 7:30 a.m. about one mile east of the 5 freeway near Templin Highway. Sheriff's Deputies had very little information, but the Daily News points out that the body was burned beyond recognition: officials cannot tell if it was even a male or female....

A late-night explosion rocked the lobby of a 15-story building on WIlshire at Bixel, igniting a small blaze, according to KTLA. LAFD officials believe the 2:14 a.m. "blast may have been related to record-breaking electricity use during Monday's extreme heat wave." The explosion originated from within an electrical vault located on the first floor of the Samaritan Medical Tower. The blast blew out the front door; most of the surveyed damage seems to be...

More than 75 firefighters are fighting a 2 or so-acre blaze in Thousand Oaks this hot, hot, hot afternoon. First reported around 2:12 p.m., the fire is burning light to medium brush on a hillside across the 101 Freeway from the Performing Arts Center and city hall, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. Two helicopters and dozers have been deployed. Updated: Acreage has been upped to fifteen acres....

A beachfront home in Malibu rented by actress and former talk show host Ricki Lake and her family suffered extensive damage by an early morning fire that also led to PCH being shut down, according to KTLA. Lake and her two sons were able to escape before 30-foot-high flames shot up into the air and jeopardized neighboring homes. Sheriff's deputies say "Lake was trying to refuel a portable heater when a couch caught fire."...

A fire is burning in the Porter Ranch area this afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. At 1:50 p.m. a half-acre brush fire north of the 19100 block of Sesnon Boulevard prompted officials to call for additional firefighters. By 2 p.m., the northwest-moving blaze had consumed to two to three acres of "light brush," said LAFD Spokesperson Erik Scott. The area burned two years ago in the a large 14,000 acre fire...