Tarzana, CA – On September 24, 2024, at 2:39 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Engine 93 responded to a vehicle fire at 5489 N Bothwell Road in Tarzana, where a garbage truck’s contents were ablaze. Firefighters quickly arrived to find flames within the truck’s load, prompting the driver to dump the burning trash onto the street. LAFD crews extinguished the fire in minutes, preventing it from spreading to the vehicle or nearby structures. The incident, in a quiet residential area, caused no injuries but briefly disrupted traffic, highlighting LAFD’s rapid response.
At 2:39 p.m., LAFD received a call reporting a vehicle fire near 5489 N Bothwell Road, a residential street in Tarzana, part of the San Fernando Valley near your queried West Hills and Woodland Hills areas. Engine 93, based at Fire Station 93 on Tampa Avenue, arrived within minutes to find a garbage truck with its contents actively burning. The truck driver, following protocol, dumped the smoldering load onto the street to isolate the fire, as reported by LAFD’s Brian Humphrey to the Los Angeles Times. Firefighters deployed hose lines and extinguished the blaze in under 10 minutes, ensuring no damage to the truck or surrounding property.
No injuries were reported, and the fire was contained before it could spread to nearby homes or vegetation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with LAFD noting that garbage truck fires often stem from discarded batteries, chemicals, or hot materials, though no specific trigger was confirmed. The dumped trash was cleared by sanitation crews post-extinguishment, and Bothwell Road was reopened after a brief closure.
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