Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in the 1000 block of North Main Street just before 7 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“First arriving firefighters found a very large outside fire that was exposing and already extending into a couple commercial structures,” LAFD Capt. and Public Information Officer Branden Silverman told Eyewitness News at the scene.

Witnesses described seeing intense flames before fire crews arrived. “There was just the flames and there was this noise like…. Really really hard,” said Chinatown resident Naara Fischert. Fischert said the flames rose high into the sky.

“It was like all the way up and it was red. Really red red red,” she said. According to officials, a one-story commercial building was already engulfed in flames with heavy fire ripping through the roof when crews arrived.

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The Danny Fire was reported at about 4:50 p.m. near Interstate 5 and Smokey Bear Road, according to CAL FIRE.

The fire was initially estimated at between 5 and 10 acres but grew to 150 acres before crews stopped its forward progress shortly after 7 p.m. Containment was estimated at 21% as of late Thursday.

Both directions of the 5 Freeway were shut down through the Grapevine. One northbound lane later reopened, while southbound traffic was diverted to Highway 138 east.

The California Highway Patrol announced around 12:14 a.m. Friday that all lanes of the 5 Freeway were reopened.

Evacuation warnings were issued for areas near the fire, with one zone later upgraded to a mandatory evacuation order.

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The fire was reported around 12:10 p.m. Thursday in the 700 block of East Hyde Park Avenue, just north of Edward Vincent Jr. Park, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Flames were seen shooting through the roof of the building. Crews aggressively fought the blaze, cutting ventilation holes in the roof, a portion of which collapsed. Crews were then seen getting off the roof as other firefighters sprayed water onto the building.

A second alarm was sounded at 12:23 p.m. and a third at 12:37 p.m., a fire department spokesman said. By 1:30 p.m., the fire was declared a 5 alarm.

By about 1:15 p.m., few flames were visible, but thick smoke continued to rise from the damaged buildings as firefighters used ladder hoses to train streams of water on the smoldering structures.

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Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson Justin Sylvia said when crews arrived, they observed smoke pouring out of the second floor. Firefighters were observed smashing windows as they tried to find the source of the flames.

While trying to extinguish the flames, Lydia Lesnyakov said she had just begun a six-hour livestream on an auction site when she heard sirens. She opened her office door and saw that the entire hallway was filled with thick smoke.

When Lesnyakov realized there was no safe way out for her, she said she opened her window and sat on the ledge, yelling at crews to get their attention.

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Firefighters responded at 10:48 a.m. to a home in the 2600 block of North Lakewood Avenue, just north of the Silver Lake Reservoir, after an air conditioning technician was unable to contain a Freon leak and requested assistance, Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Nick Pellegrini said.

According to Pellegrini, one firefighter was in the basement assisting with the incident when an explosion occurred.

“When the engine company responded, we had one member in the basement trying to assist and an explosion occurred. So we had a small explosion and the one member that was in the basement was slightly disorientated,” Pellegrini said. “The other crew was still in the living area of the home and from there the crews left the structure at that point.”

The four firefighters were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

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The fires were caused by a combination of lightning from the thunderstorms, dry fuels and light rain in each of the four affected regions, according to the forest service’s news release. Three fires were located in the Bucks Lake area and another was near Oro-Quincy Highway and French Creek Road.

None of the fires grew to a quarter acre and have since been contained. However, fire danger remains high mainly due to high temperatures that returned last week. “Extremely” dry forest fuels that “are more like August than October” also add to the risk of fires in the area, the forest service said.

“When we receive lightning in the late spring and early summer, there [are] usually rain and fuel conditions [that] aren’t as receptive to carry fire quickly,” said Plumas National Forest Fire Chief Martin Senter. “In late summer and fall, lightning on dry fuels can quickly become a large wildfire, threatening communities and infrastructure.”

A Heat Advisory is currently in effect through 10 p.m. Friday over certain regions of the Plumas National Forest, including the Feather River Canyon and Middle Fork Feather River.

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The multi-agency rescue mission, conducted by LASD, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County lifeguards and the U.S. Coast Guard, was prompted by a deadly medevac helicopter crash that took place on the evening of Sept. 30.

First responders were immediately dispatched to the waters off Catalina to search for the five occupants who were onboard the helicopter. At first, four were found – and two were pronounced dead at the scene, L.A. County Fire Engineer Jonathan Torres told KTLA shortly after the crash.

A frantic overnight search then got underway to find the fifth person; they were found dead the day after the crash, bringing the total number of fatalities to three.

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Redding police, fire crews and AMR ambulance personnel responded about 2:02 p.m. to the crash near Oasis Road and Lake Boulevard.

Police said the man was driving a Hyundai SUV west on Oasis Road when he failed to negotiate the T intersection at Lake Boulevard and continued into an apartment building at 1500 Lake Blvd. The SUV crashed through three of the building’s units. Two apartments were occupied at the time.

One resident was not hurt, while another resident suffered minor injuries and was taken to Mercy Hospital. The driver also suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.

The City of Redding Building Department determined the building was unsafe to occupy because of the extensive structural damage.

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Fire crews responded around 4:45 a.m. to the apartments in the 400 block of Central Avenue. Firefighters located a heavy fire inside a first-floor apartment unit, which was spreading to neighboring units and trapping residents in the upper floors, the Alameda Fire Department said.

Three occupants trapped on the third floor were rescued by firefighters. A fourth occupant on the third floor jumped to escape and was injured, according to AFD. In total, two people were hospitalized.

Thirty-five firefighters brought the blaze under control in less than 20 minutes, fire officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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The controlled burn just north of Bodega Bay has ended, and crews are mopping up the area.

The Air District said, “Residual smoke from the Salmon Creek prescribed burn is expected to drift across parts of Sonoma County through Wednesday. Onshore winds are light, blowing smoke from west to east across the Russian River Valley, including Santa Rosa and the 101 corridor this evening. Note that conditions can change rapidly, and the amount and location of smoke at ground level are hard to predict.”

Officials added, “Smoky, hazy skies may be visible, the smell of smoke is possible and air quality may become unhealthy at times through Wednesday.”

Those suffering from asthma, emphysema or COPD, as well as elderly adults and children with respiratory illnesses, are urged to take extra caution.

No Spare the Air Alert is in effect, as pollutant levels are not expected to exceed the 24-hour standard, according to the district.

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The engine will operate out of Station 3, which has been unstaffed since it was built in 2014. The benefit assessment now provides the funding needed to fully staff the station.

“Thank you for the trust you’ve put in us. We understand that, you know, it can be a little bit of a burden having to pay more for your services, but we are absolutely going to do our best to make sure those funds are spent as respectfully as they can be,” said Ripon Fire Chief Eric DeHart.

The assessment means residents are now paying approximately $20 per month to create the funds necessary to staff the second engine. The Ripon Consolidated Fire District is currently accepting applications for six positions, including captains and engineers.

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The Bouquet Fire was first reported shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday in the area of Bouquet Canyon Road and Quarry Road in the Angeles National Forest.

The fire was burning at a rapid rate of spread, triggering evacuation orders and warnings for several Los Angeles County zones. Within just a couple of hours, the fire ballooned to 710 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) – Angeles National Forest.

Then by 6:55 p.m., the fire had grown to at least 1,000 acres, according to the Cal Fire incidents page.

By later Saturday night, fire crews began to get the blaze under control. On Sunday morning, the fire was 40% contained and measured at 1,048 acres. Then later Sunday evening, containment grew to 48%.

By Monday, containment had grown significantly to 63%, but still, evacuations remained in place.

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