Firefighters took 77 minutes to knock down a fire in a single-family residence in the 700 block of Kingman Road in Santa Monica Canyon, Thursday morning. The fire, termed ‘stubborn’ by LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey, was reported at 6:43 a.m. by a 911 call from a mobile phone. Fire Station 69 (Carey at Sunset) was first on the scene and saw smoke coming from the home. The fire, which started in the basement/crawl space of the three-story hillside home, rapidly spread into the walls and then the roof, where accumulated leaves and debris fueled the flames. Two L.A.Fire Department helicopters maintained aerial reconnaissance and served as a command post. ‘There was concern that it could spread, but luckily there was no wind,’ Humphrey said. Along with Station 69, firefighters from Stations 11, 39, 23 and from Santa Monica responded to the fire, making a total of 71 firefighters. According to the Humphrey, there were two civilians on the scene, one adamantly declining care and a second departing immediately. A neighbor reported that one person had been led away in handcuffs. The West L.A. Police Department confirmed that a car had responded to the site, but could not confirm an arrest. When asked if brush clearance had been done around the home, Humphrey said that the home on this specific parcel was not located in a very high fire hazard severity zone. ‘Common sense would dictate clearing debris,’ Humphrey said, noting that the structure had been heavily damaged. A full report will appear in the February 17 issue of the Palisadian-Post.
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