Firefighters

Firefighters and the civilians they're sworn to protect were recognized for their bravery and quick actions in nerve-racking emergency situations at an annual awards ceremony Wednesday. Glendale resident Hovek Manokian was one of 12 community members and leaders who received the Fire Chief's commendation for putting out a fire with two extinguishers after discovering flames coming from a clothes dryer on March 23 in his apartment building. After alerting the Fire Department and other residents of the blaze at the complex on the 1200 block of North Columbus Avenue, he used extinguishers to put out the fire and turned off the gas to the dryer.

Glendale firefighters on Thursday rescued a kitten that was stuck in a wheel-well of a car in a grocery store parking lot, officials said. Witnesses called authorities at about 3:45 p.m. to report a kitten that somehow crawled into the car's wheel well and got trapped. Firefighters responded to the Albertson's parking lot on Chevy Chase Drive and safely removed the kitten from wheel well. “It was a successful rescue,” Battalion Chief Gregory Godfrey said. He did not know whether the kitten was returned to its owner, but added that animal control wasn't called to the scene.

Firefighters on Monday morning extinguished a blaze from a second-floor apartment on Windsor Road, officials said. The blaze occurred about 10:56 a.m. at an apartment building in the 500 block of East Windsor Road, fire officials said. Fire crews arrived at the building and discovered smoke and fire inside the apartment. They put out the blaze in about 11 minutes. No one was hurt in the blaze, but a family was displaced by the fire. The family will receive aid from the American Red Cross, officials said.

Firefighters are responding to reports of a grass fire on the shoulder of the Foothill (210) Freeway near La Tuna Canyon Road. A Sigalert has been issued for the westbound 210 lanes. [Updated 1:59 p.m.: The smoke was reportedly from an overheating vehicle pulled over on the shoulder of the freeway. ]

Two Glendale Fire Department officials are lending out their services to help fellow firefighters battle devastating blazes in Texas and Oklahoma. Deputy Chief Bob Doyle has been batting fires and directing firefighters while working as division group supervisor in Oklahoma for a week, Glendale fire officials said. More than 560 fires have burned in Oklahoma this summer. Glendale Fire Thomas Marchant headed to Texas three days ago, where he is working as a resource manager in the incident command post for East Texas Complex fires.

A fire in Altadena Sunday night resulting from a smoldering cigarette resulted in minor injuries for inhabitants, but major damage to the Lake Avenue home,  Altadenablog.com reported.  Firefighters were called to the fire in the 2900 block of North Lake Avenue at 10:45 pm. An 87-year-old female resident was hospitalized for mild distress due to smoke inhalation, and her caregiver was treated for first degree burns on her wrist, said LA...

Los Angeles firefighters extinguished a small fire spotted at the Ventura (134) Freeway at Harvey Drive interchange, officials said. The fire erupted just before 3 p.m. in the middle of the freeway interchange, officials said. A Sigalert was briefly issued.

Burbank firefighters gathered Friday to pay respects to James Sheffield, the former president of Firefighters Local 778. The funeral service was held at St. Roberts Bellarmine Church. Fellow firefighter saluted his flag draped coffin, and one of his pallbearers was his son, Bob Sheffied, himself recently retired from the Burbank Fire Department. In addition to Bob, his children were Jim, Rosemary, Margaret and Helen, and grandfather to 13 grandchildren. His is survived by his brothers Robert and Jack.

Firefighters are responding to a fire in the 700 block of E. Providence Avenue in Burbank. The source and extent of the fire was not immediately available. [Update 2:40 p.m.: Fire officials have reportedly put out the blaze and are in clean-up mode. ]

A Burbank firefighter was transported to a local hospital with heat exhaustion Wednesday as a result of battling a blaze that consumed a second-story apartment on Providencia Avenue, officials said. No one else was injured in the blaze that started in the apartment unit on the 700 block of East Providencia Avenue and spread into the attic, Burbank Fire Battalion Chief Frank Walbert said. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading into other units and knocked it down at 2:41 p.m., fire officials said.