5 Alarm: An LAFD story

Second Worst Call.

It was 6:45 am on a Friday whent he tone dropped "STATION 10 ALL UNITS, RESPOND: 5 ALARM COMMERCIAL FIRE IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT" So all crews of Station 10 got our gear on and loaded into our trucks and left the station full lights and sirens. We pulled onto the streets and we saw the smoke already. We arrived on scene and immediatly got to work on extinguisbing the fire. Truck 14 and Tower Ladder 10 was raising their ladders into the air and started to put the fire out from an aerial position. I ran inside with a charged line and got to work on getting my way to the heart of the fire to put it out. After going inside all I saw inside was the dim.beam from my flashlight on my coat and my helmet. I also saw the orange glow of the fire and the water from the hose. It was so dark because of all the smoke. So grabbed the hose and ran outside and climbed a ladder onto the roof after dropping the hose and I picked up a pike pole tool and got work and jabbing holes into the roof of the factory which completely burning. I saw one part of the roof cave in already and I thought I was going to die. So I radio to the chief "Roof has started caving in sir" He told me "10-4, Hanson get down from there NOW!!". I got down and was taken up by Tower Ladder 10 and I aimed one water cannon at the first hole where the roof was and the second cannon at the second hole where the roof was. As soon as the water started to spray into the building all everyone seen was plumes of both Black Smoke and Steam from the water beong put onto the fire. CHP or California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department had all streets nearby closed. All anybody on scene saw was Flames, smoke, Fire Crews, and Fire Trucks and apparatus at this factory. We have been on scene for hours now and the Fire is still raging. I can tell this fire is going to take a long time to put out. I ran back in after being brought to the ground and I grabbed a hose and ram inside and found where the fire started. The fire started in an industrial Furnace used to make steel. This is the steel factory that is burning out of control. Turns out LAFD Air Units were comtacted and they did drop water onto the fire to help us put it out. After about 14 hours of fighting the fire we finally got to leave. Los Angeles County Fire Department will stay on scen. Me and all crews from Station 10 returned to quarters late at night. Everybody was exhausted. I got cleaned up at the station and changed out of my Fire Departmant station uniform and kept my LAFD Tshirt on and went home at about 3:13 in the morning the next morning. I hope nothing like that ever happens again. But it most likely will happen again.