Josh Kleinbaum
A three-alarm fire destroyed three businesses Sunday and injured two
people, including a Glendale firefighter, fire officials said.
Firefighter Robert Bishop was just outside the seven-store strip
mall at 4121 Pennsylvania Ave., engaging in "an aggressive interior
firefighting attack," when the building's facade collapsed, pinning
Bishop beneath debris, Glendale Fire Capt. Carlos Guerrero said.
Other firefighters freed Bishop, who was taken to Glendale Adventist
Medical Center.
Bishop was treated for neck and back injuries, Guerrero said, and
released Sunday afternoon.
Glendale firefighters responded to the call at 6:39 a.m. and
arrived at the scene four minutes later, where they found a
36-year-old man on fire outside the structure. Firefighters tended to
the man before attacking the fire, which was raging in three
businesses in the strip mall.
The three businesses were destroyed, Guerrero said, with damage
estimated at $1.4 million -- $800,000 in structural damage to the
building and $600,000 in damage to the contents. The four other
businesses in the strip mall were saved.
The unidentified man was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital for
treatment of severe burns, and transferred to the Grossman Burn
Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. A spokeswoman for the burn center
said his condition was critical, but would not give any more details.
Seventy-four firefighters responded to the call, including
firefighters from Pasadena and Los Angeles County. Forty-eight were
members of the Glendale Fire Department.
Guerrero said they had the fire contained in about an hour,
although it continued to smolder late Sunday afternoon. One of the
destroyed businesses was a pool supply company, requiring a hazardous
materials team to check for chemical and gas exposure, but Guerrero
said chemical levels were within the acceptable range.
An investigation is underway, Guerrero said, and arson has not
been ruled out as a cause.
