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California Burning: Photographs from the Los Angeles Examiner

Engine company number four in front of the Old Fire House on Plaza Street in Los Angeles, 1887

The photograph depicts the first official building of the paid fire department in the city of Los Angeles. Before 1871, volunteer brigades were responsible for extinguishing fires. The original engine company was organized by the county clerk who enlisted storekeepers and important property owners as volunteer firemen. They struggled to draw all of their equipment and when the city council declined their request to purchase horses, they disbanded, leading to efforts to form the first paid fire service.

This fire house in the image, constructed in 1884, hosted the “Thirty-Eights” engine company which was named after the number of members in their original crew and was the fourth fire-fighting organization. Originally headquartered in a rundown shed owned by the city, the Thirty-Eights moved into the firehouse, thanks to the advocacy of Walter S. Moore, a former member of the Los Angeles City Council who served at the time as the chief engineer of the fire department [1]. The entire building, designed by the Midwestern architect William A. Boring, was modeled on the architectural style of Illinois. To the lower left of the image are horses which the Thirty-Eights were able to purchase, unlike their unpaid predecessors [3]. The building boasted a turntable system that helped efficiently store the new horses into their stables.

The period during which it was active was short lived but it was important to the firefighting legacy of the city as it transitioned to a modernizing system. In 1897, the city abandoned the building, citing the high rent prices for the lot. The firehouse was converted into a saloon and later a hotel, becoming unrecognizable in the mid 20th century [3]. After many decades, the state Division of Architecture managed to repair the building after it was left damaged as part of a historic recuperation effort during the 1940s [4]. It is now named a California Historical Landmark that serves as a museum open to the public and supported by local volunteers [5]. Firemen appreciate it for its sentimentality as a retirement symbol and for its help in furthering the educational value of the fire service [6].

[1] Grenier, Judson. “Plaza Firehouse Centennial”, 1.

[2] “A Few Highlights About Early Fire Department” Fireman’s Grapevine, (March 8, 1961), 1. Grenier, Judson. “Plaza Firehouse Centennial”,1.

[3] “Los Angeles Reopens its Old Plaza Fire Station” Fireman’s Grapevine, (November 1960), 1.

[4] Grenier, Judson. “Plaza Firehouse Centennial” “Los Angeles Reopens its Old Plaza Fire Station” Fireman’s Grapevine, (November 1960), 1.

[5] “Los Angeles Reopens its Old Plaza Fire Station” Fireman’s Grapevine, (November 1960), 1.

[6] “Restoration has Begun” , Fireman’s Grapevine, (June 1959) 1.

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3. Brush fire (Rio Hondo fire), 1951 Depicted is a brush fire emerging in Rio Hondo, a tributary of Los Angeles County whose name derives from the 'deep river' - Rio Hondo - that runs parallel to the San Gabriel River. Even as an area of land named after a body of water, fires still manage to ravage the land, and the efforts to mitigate this state of emergency caused no shortage of worry and damage. The fire spread rapidly through the brushes upon it's kindling, burning more than 50 acres of land and damaging two houses within a few hours [1]. The dry climate helped propagate the fire and spread embers to rooftops where the smoldering did most of its damage [5]. While the fire fortunately maintained itself within the riverbed [4], it didn't make the lives of the Los Angeles Fire Department easy. They had to storm together a 10 unit battalion that aggregated teams from Whitter and the State Department of Forestry to contain the flame. Shown in the image is the efforts of the fire department mobilizing to eliminate the flame. To that end they were able to shut down the fire in two hours, even deploying tractors with dozer blades in order to eliminate the immediate presence of fuel. While the nature of the fire was calmed quickly, quantifiable amounts of damage were done to the surroundings, and fire fighters were dispatched throughout the night to ensure embers didn't form again [1]. Fires like these continued to strike the area, and in 2005, volunteers and Angeles Chapter Staff came together to form a campaign called the Emerald Necklace which aims to plant trees and brushes that reinstate the park experience that perhaps once existed in the area [6].
4. Chatsworth Brush Fires, 1957
14. Warner Brothers Studio Fire (Burbank), 1952

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Engine company number four in front of the Old Fire House on Plaza Street in Los Angeles, 1887 Photograph of Engine company number four in front of the Old Fire House on Plaza Street in Los Angeles, 1887. Firemen are pictured on the street gathered around two horse-drawn fire engines, while the two-story brick building of the fire house stands behind them. On the lower level, the building is affixed with stable-gates, which are open. Above, a small balcony extends in front of a door which is flanked by two windows. A bellfry appears to be affixed to the building near its roof. A dog can be seen lazing under the rightmost engine.; "Old Fire House at the Plaza as it appeared in 1920 as a hotel, built in 1884 for the Thirty-Eights" -- unknown author.