The firefighters who put out a blaze that destroyed three townhouses in the Palisades Highlands on January 17 were honored at the Community Council meeting last Thursday evening. Nearly 100 firefighters responded to the fire that started around 8:20 p.m. in a garage at 1684 Michael Lane. The owner had just parked his car in the garage, and when he went inside, the car caught fire. The fire spread into an attic shared by the six townhouses in that building and into the walls of three adjoining units, causing severe heat, water and smoke damage that displaced three families. Firefighters from L.A. Fire Department Stations 23, 69, 19, 59, 63 and 5 responded. Last Thursday, Councilman Bill Rosendahl presented captains representing those stations, Battalion Chief Patrick Butler and Assistant Chief Daniel McCarthy, with certificates of appreciation. ‘Not only did they get there quickly, they stayed long enough to make sure all the embers were out,’ Rosendahl said. Some of the firefighters remained at the scene until 5 a.m. ‘It’s always great to receive recognition, but we were just doing our job,’ said Fire Station 23 Capitan Bill Ernst. ‘We are here to help people.’ Rob Gilmer, president of the Michael Lane Villas Association (which has 110 townhouses), expressed his gratitude. ‘We have to consider these men and women heroes,’ Gilmer said, noting that when he arrived at the scene, he saw a wall of flames consuming two homes. ‘We could have easily lost 10 to 12 units,’ given the warm, windy weather. Gilmer presented the firefighters with a thank-you note from the kindergarten students at St. Mel School in Woodland Hills. Teacher Joyce Cluess and her husband, Chris, lost their home in the fire that night. Following the fire, ‘the neighbors showed a tremendous amount of care and concern,’ Gilmer said. ‘They offered the people who lost homes a place to stay until they could relocate.’ Rosendahl also acknowledged Community Council member Paul Glasgall for his help. Last year, Glasgall participated in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, which educates people how to respond to a disaster. ‘Paul appeared during the height of the chaos, wearing the green vest that identified him to both firefighters and residents as someone prepared to respond to the demands of emergency response,’ Gilmer said. ‘He was immediately enlisted by the firefighters to assist in crowd control and did so admirably for several hours.’ Glasgall, who has chaired the Palisades Highlands Presidents’ Council for 17 years, said when he heard the sirens, he drove to the scene to find out if he could be of assistance. ‘I care a lot about this community,’ said Glasgall, a local real estate agent who represents the Highlands on the Community Council.
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