Brush Fire Breaks out Along PCH
SANTA MONICA, CA: On Tuesday, June 13th, Santa Monica Firefighters responded to a reported brush fire in the bluffs above PCH, upon the first in engine 7's arrival, they observed heavy fire and smoke showing at the top of the bluffs and called for additional resources. Engines 1,2, & 3 alongside Battalion 1, Truck 1, and Rescue 1 responded to assist with knocking down the flames in the bluffs. Santa Monica Police Department was called out to block PCH as well as the California Incline to ensure that fire crews had enough space to operate and work with. Engines 2 & 7 worked from PCH while engines 1 & 3 worked on Ocean ave to get the fire out on the bluffs. A palm tree did catch on fire on Ocean Avenue, threatening multiple structures nearby. Firefighters at that time asked for Santa Monica PD to also close down Ocean while they worked on the fire down below on the bluffs as well as the fire that was in the Palm Tree. There were no evacuation orders issued to any residents in the area. The approximate size immediately given to the public is a 100 by 150 area on the bluffs, this is just an estimate and is not confirmed at this time. The fire was knockdown very quickly and crews were finished clearing up hotspots before reopening the road around 8:15 that evening. Traffic was reportedly backed up to East Los Angeles on the 10 due to PCH being shut down. There were no reported injuries or structures damaged from the fire.
Read full storyOfficers Search for Shooting Suspect
SANTA MONICA, CA: On Sunday, June 12th, at approximately 7:20, Santa Monica Police & Fire responded to reports of shots fired in the 1900 block of Cloverfield Blvd for reported shots fired in the area. Upon the officers' arrival, they noticed evidence of a shooting in the alleyway of an apartment complex. The Santa Monica Police Department had blocked off all lanes of travel on Cloverfield between Deleware ave and Virginia Ave. They called in some of the department's S.W.A.T. team but didn't call any members that were not on duty at the time. Once additional resources and S.W.A.T. officers arrived, they began to search throughout the apartment complex for any victims or suspects. Santa Monica Fire was staged down the street from the incident with bulletproof vests as police searched the apartment complex. They did not find any victims or suspects involved in the shooting, and a crime scene was set up to collect evidence. The fire department was released from the scene due to not being needed no more. The police department's forensics team was called out to the scene to take photos as well as to collect the evidence left behind. At this time no potential suspects have been identified in connection to the shooting. No bullets were shot through any of the units in the apartment complex. There have been no victims identified. Police have considered this to be a random shooting at this time.
Read full storyFirefighters Save Two Cats From Fire
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – On Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 7:47 p.m. an officer patrolling the 1900 block of 20th street observed smoke coming from the back of an apartment complex and quickly called for additional resources and the Fire Department to help evacuate the building as well as to look for anybody inside the unit on fire. It took the first engine to arrive on scene within 3 minutes of the initial dispatch, all other units arrived on scene within 5 minutes of the initial call. Engine 3 which was the first engine on the scene had done a search for any victims and found 4 cats that were inside of the unit, the firefighters quickly extracted them from the unit and tend aid to them with pet oxygen masks, sadly 2 of the cats were unable to be resuscitated, the other 2 cats were transported to a nearby vet for further evaluation before being transferred to the Santa Monica Animal Shelter where their rightful owner(s) could pick them up. The unit was a total loss in the fire and the American Red Cross is helping the occupant(s) in the unit. There were no reported injuries to any firefighters or civilians related to the fire. The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental and most likely something was burning like a candle before the occupant(s) left and one of the cats may have accidentally knocked it down while the occupant(s) were gone.
Read full storyMan Arrested After Standoff With Police
Santa Monica, CA: On Thursday, April 8th approximately at 8:00 in the evening, multiple 911 callers reported hearing one single shot fired in the area of 12th st and Michigan Ave. upon the arrival of first responding police units, they began to investigate the area for the gunshot, the officers discovered that a male subject walked out of their apartment building and shot one gunshot into a neighboring apartment building before returning to their apartment and barricading inside with the gun and their dog. The Santa Monica Police Department located the subject’s residence after talking to several witnesses and attempted to get the subject out on their own, when the subject refused to come out, a swat call was initiated and the crisis negotiation team was called out to convince the subject to come out of the residence. At one point officers at the scene did indicate over the radio that a shot was fired, this is unconfirmed and there was no sound of a gunshot being fired near the residency. At 9:40 the suspect surrendered to officers, when being searched by officers the subject started to resist the officer that was searching him, when the subject was being placed into the back of a police vehicle, they also resisted prompting more officers to have to be on the subject. The subject was also heard screaming “boomba“ multiple times while being placed into the back of a patrol car, prompting officers to send in a bomb sniffing K-9 into the residency as a precaution while they cleared the residency.
Read full storyMan Brought to Safety After Leaning on Ledge
SANTA MONICA, CA: On Monday, March 22nd, the Santa Monica Communications Center received 911 calls of a man on the ledge of a pedestrian bridge on the California Incline located between Pacific Coast Highway and Ocean Ave. Fire crews from Santa Monica Fire Department & the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the incident alongside the Santa Monica Police Department. The Police Department was tasked with closing the area off to pedestrian and vehicle traffic as well as helping get the individual down from the ledge. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to deploy an inflatable air rescue cushion below the individual to ensure that if they did fall, they would safely land on the air rescue cushion. Santa Monica Police Department had their crisis negotiators on the scene to bring the person to safety and the county's mental health unit assisted with the situation as well. Eventually, the individual came down from the ledge and was transported to a nearby hospital on a 51-50 hold for further evaluation. The hold would keep the individual in the hospital for at least 72 hours and after the 72 hours can be released if the individual is deemed to be no harm to themselves or others.
Read full storyArsonist Sets 3 Fires Near Promenade
Santa Monica, CA: On Monday, March 14th around 3 in the afternoon, reports of a trash fire came into the Santa Monica Communications Center, upon arrival of fire units, they found the fire that was burning and safely extinguished the flames, there were no reported injuries or any other damage. About an hour and a half later is when another call came into the Santa Monica Communications center regarding an outside fire this time, upon the arrival of fire units, they observed a trash fire that was burning, the fire crew safely extinguished the flames, and no injuries or damage was reported. While Santa Monica Fire Department was returning to the station, around 4:45 in the evening they were flagged down by somebody in regards to a trash fire that was just set by an individual who fled the scene on foot, once the firefighters had extinguished the trash fire, they were flagged down by another individual in the alleyway about a trash fire that had spread to a nearby structure. When the engine pulled into the alleyway, they requested additional fire units, prompting a structure fire response to the location. Engines 3,4, & 6, Truck 1, and Battalion 1 responded to the scene. The building sustained minor damage from the fire but there was water damage inside of the building to prevent the fire from further spreading as well as to prevent property loss as well as damage to the building.
Read full storyStandoff With Barricaded Subject Ends Peacefully
Santa Monica, CA: On Saturday, March 12th around 4 in the morning, 911 callers reported hearing screaming in a nearby residence prompting an "Unkown Trouble" call for the Santa Monica Police Department. Upon the arrival of the first responding officers, they wanted to separate those involved by bringing them outside but one person inside refused to, prompting a barricaded situation. The officers requested for the Swat team to be called out as the standoff with the individual prolonged. A negotiation team was also called out to get the subject out of the residence peacefully. According to officers and a spokesperson for the department, they believed that the individual was not armed. The standoff with the police department lasted for about 4 hours before the subject came out of the residence peacefully and was detained for a short time before being released at the scene. No arrests had been made in connection with the standoff or the original call itself.
Read full storyOne Killed in Accident
Santa Monica, CA: On Friday, February 25th around 9:30 pm, reports that a vehicle hit a pedestrian on the 2400 block of Pico Blvd came out. Upon the arrival of the first responding units, it was determined that the accident occurred on the Westbound side of Pico BLVD. The victim was in critical condition upon the arrival of firefighters & paramedics, the victim was put into a condition where they could be transported to the hospital. The victim was placed into an ambulance where they died shortly after being placed into the ambulance, the ambulance was going to transport the victim to a nearby trauma center. Aprroxamitly at 10:00 pm, the road had been shut down to all vehicle traffic in both directions of Pico Blvd between Cloverfield and 25th street, it was later closed between Cloverfield and 26th Street. The red Prius was the only vehicle involved in the accident and the black Prius and an SUV were witnesses to the accident. The driver was not suspected to be under the influence of anything at the time of the accident. It appeared that the victim involved may have been a homeless person who was at a bus stop near the accident, it's unknown if they were in the street or if they may have jumped out onto the street from the bus stop at this time. The road was re-opened to all traffic around 2:30 am.
Read full storySuspicious Death Investigation In Front of Church
Santa Monica, CA: On Saturday, February 19th, a body was located behind bushes in front of a church on the 1000 block of 7th street. Upon the arrival of the first responding units, it was determined that the person had been dead for a while. A suspicious death investigation was launched by the Santa Monica Police Department. A sleeping bag was seen near the bushes in public view indicating that a homeless person may have been around. The corner's office responded to the scene to record and remove the body from behind the bushes and transport it to a nearby moorage for the identification process as well as to determine a cause of death. It appears that no foul play was involved but that can't be ruled out until the Los Angeles County corner's office releases an official cause of death. The belongings of the person were taken to the police department to be processed as evidence due to it being a suspicious death investigation.
Read full storyMotorcyclist Collides with Vehicle - Listed in Critical Condition
Santa Monica, CA: On Thursday, February 10th, a motorcyclist collided with a vehicle on 11th and Santa Monica Blvd. Upon the arrival of first responders, they noticed the motorcyclist in the middle of the intersection and another vehicle parked nearby the accident showing damage from a recent accident. The occupant(s) of that vehicle remained on the scene. According to witnesses that saw the accident, it appeared that either the SUV or motorcycle ran a red light. Witnesses also noted that neither vehicle appeared to be speeding but it looks like speed is a factor due to the damage that the motorcycle caused to the SUV that was involved. The motorcyclist was transported to a nearby area hospital and is listed in critical condition. The Santa Monica Police Department had to partially close parts of 11th st & Santa Monica Blvd causing a backup in the area. Santa Monica BLVD was closed to westbound traffic at 10th street, 11th street was closed and vehicles traveling north or south had to make a right turn onto Santa Monica Blvd. (Southbound could make left & right turns onto Santa Monica BLVD.) No one was able to continue onto 11th street causing adding to more driving time having to go around and reconnect with 11th street or taking an alternate route. Officers we spoke to stated that the backup wouldn't have occurred if the motorcycle wasn't in the middle of the intersection as they had to wait for a tow truck to pick up the motorcycle to remove it from the intersection and to reopen the intersection. At this time, there has been no cause of accident released from the Santa Monica Police Department.
Read full storyVehicle Collides with a School Bus
On Monday, February 14th, the Santa Monica Fire and Police Departments responded to reports of a vehicle vs a building on 20th street & Santa Monica Blvd. Upon police & fire units' arrival, they determined that a sedan struck a school bus that stopped near the scene of the accident. At the time of the collision, no children were inside the school bus. The sedan was sent back into a parking structure after colliding with the school bus. The parking structure was deemed not to have any structural damage nor not be structurally threatening. The sedan was wedged in between a tree and the parking structure making it hard for the vehicle to be towed as the driver had the keys on them when they were transported to a nearby hospital. Santa Monica Fire Department canceled their Urban Search & Rescue response as well as all other units besides Engine 3 & Battalion 1 to help with the scene. Santa Monica Police Department assisted with traffic control in the area, shutting down traffic in both directions on 20th street between Broadway and Santa Monica Blvd.
Read full storyFire Starts at Motel - Owners Suspect Arson
On Saturday, February 12th, the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire on the 2800 block of Santa Monica Blvd. The Santa Monica Police Department also responded to assist with traffic control in the area, Santa Monica Blvd was closed in both directions between Harvard and Yale until fire crews cleared the scene. The Santa Monica Fire Department considered it to be a working fire. The fire was contained in part of a wall in a motel building, no rooms were affected or damaged by the fire. The fire was knocked down at 12:58 pm on Saturday. The fire was knocked down 36 minutes after being first reported.
Read full storyLos Angeles Fire Department Knock Down Westwood Structure Fire
On Sunday, February 6th the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire on Santa Monica Blvd near Manning Ave. Upon LAFD Fire Station 37's arrival, they conducted a primary search and found nobody inside of the 2-story office building with the 1st story being a parking area. Once the firefighters conducted the primary search and found no one, they started to attack the fire from the outside and move into the building to put out any hotspots inside of the building. Firefighters also threw whatever was destroyed inside the building outside to better determine the origin of the fire as well as to ensure that all the flames were out on those items. They also used two ladder trucks to do vertical ventilation, allowing smoke and heated gases to escape. The fire started in one of the office units and spread into the attic which affected 2 neighboring units. The fire started in one of the West units and was spreading towards the East. Firefighters were able to stop the forward progress of the fire when they arrived. The fire investigation took place on the scene for 5 more additional hours after the fire was put out, the LAFD has not completed their investigation at this time. The fire affected 3 units in the office building with smoke & fire damage.
Read full storyIguanas Found in Classrooms on School Campus and Removed
On Wednesday, January 12th, teachers from Santa Monica High School who were going into their classrooms in the morning around 6:00 am were surprised to find iguanas and meal-worms in the Innovation building on the 2nd & 3rd floors, there were 4 iguanas on each floor, 2 were placed into 2 classrooms on each floor and meal-worms were all over the place on the 3rd floor. The iguanas and worms were placed through open windows located outside of the classrooms above lockers in the hallways, these creatures were brutally dropped without hesitation into the classrooms and it's believed that there were multiple people due to the elevated and hard to reach windows. 4 more iguanas and worms were place in the security office and the college center, 2 in each room. A total of 10 iguanas were on campus and removed by the Santa Monica Police Department animal control division. Students and teachers believed that it was a senior prank but thought it was too early and too cruel for it to be a senior prank. It's also believed that the subjects jumped over onto the campus while the gates were closed overnight after 11:00 pm when there's nobody on campus.
Read full storyNew Task Force Removing Unpermitted Vendors around Pier
Due to the recent increase of unpermitted vendors on and around the Santa Monica pier, a task force was recently created in removing and citing unpermitted vendors even sometimes confiscating food from them. This has been a growing problem over the years but it has been an even bigger problem recently as vendors return to the pier from the covid lockdown. The task force consists of police, fire, and county health officers. The police department has code enforcement and regular officers that work alongside two fire investigators to enforce open flame laws on the pier as well as the county health officers who enforce the food that the vendors are selling as well as sanitation of the carts that the vendors are selling the food from. With them being unpermitted and if they're in violation of health codes then that could be a huge fine which is a huge price to pay. Since June 1st, 2021 the police department, the fire department, and the Los Angeles County Health Department have tried to get unpermitted vendors off and out of the pier and surrounding areas. They started by giving them verbal warnings and escorting them off the pier, then it went to barricading and hiring private security at every entrance to keep them out. It was then gradually ramped up to citations, confiscation of food, and even sometimes arresting the vendors. This is what it has come to because the vendors simply just don't want to get a permit or to follow the laws that are in place to keep the pier safe due to its history.
Read full storyFire in Basement Prompts Apartment Building Evacuation
On Friday, December 31st, the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire approximately at 4:40 pm prompting 4 engine companies, 1 truck company, 1 air/light rescue company, and a battalion chief to respond. The building consisted of 17 floors, 911 callers reported heavy smoke on the top floors. Upon the 1st engine‘s arrival (Engine 7), there was no visible smoke seen coming outside the building and they located people outside the building and started a search inside the building for any remaining occupants that may be inside. Sprinklers were activated inside the building due to the smoke. The truck company along with the rescue company and another engine company tried to find where the fire was. The fire was located inside the basement, at the bottom of the trash shoot. It’s believed that someone threw something down into the trash shoot which had an open flame and began to spread in the trash shoot. They knocked down the fire very quickly but fire crews remained on the scene for 3 hours due to elevators not working and trying to reset the fire alarm panel. An ambulance was later called for a resident who needed medical assistance, it's unclear if it was related to the fire or not and it's unknown if they were transported or not. Residents were not let back into the building until about an hour and a half later after the fire was first reported.
Read full storyCity Garbage Truck Catches on Fire
Approximately around 12:05 pm Monday afternoon the contents inside of a Santa Monica City garbage truck caught on fire in the back of the truck where the trash is, spreading quickly. The driver notified the city's 911 system about the fire and the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to the fire, the fire department responded to the scene with an engine company. Upon the engine's arrival, the contents inside of the truck were in the middle of the street, according to the Captain of Engine 5. The driver did this in line with protocol to prevent the diesel-fueled truck from catching fire. It took approximately 15 minutes for 4 firefighters to knock down the fire. Fire crews were on scene for about 2 hours to help clean up the street as well as to put out any hotspots. Vehicle traffic was shut down in the area until the debris in the roadway was cleared and deemed safe for vehicles to travel through the area. Around 2:15 in the afternoon the area was cleared and opened to vehicle traffic. The Santa Monica Fire Department cleared the scene around 1:50 pm.
Read full storyThreats Investigated at Santa Monica & Saint Monica High Schools
On Monday, December 6th at 8:15 pm, the Santa Monica Police Department posted a tweet about a threat to Saint Monica High School, the threat was posted online and during their investigation, they found out the post originated towards Elk Grove High School located in Northern California. There is deemed to be no threat towards the school at this time and to resume normal school activity. The Santa Monica Police Department has increased patrols in the area of Saint Monica's High School.
Read full storyWater Main Break in Front of Santa Monica Pier
Early Friday afternoon, the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to reports of a broken water main break in the intersection of Colorado and Ocean Ave in Santa Monica. Fire officials had trouble shutting off the water due to no direct access to the pipe that was broken by ongoing construction in the area. Fire officials had to shut down the pipe near broadway about a block down. The water was eventually shut off and vehicle traffic is set to be shut down for approximately 8 hours while emergency repairs are underway, it's unknown how many businesses and residents are without water. An official statement from the SMFD stated that they cleared at 12:43 pm, 34 minutes after they initially responded to the 911 call. The Santa Monica Police Department also responded to assist the SMFD in shutting down traffic while fire crews worked in the middle of the road to turn off the water. As of now, the city is making emergency utility repairs to the pipe which will go on for approximately 8 hours from an official statement made on the City of Santa Monica's Twitter account. The cause of the pipe breaking appears to be from construction that was happening in the Southbound lanes on Ocean Ave, it was more towards the sidewalk and out of traffic. Vehicle traffic was backed up while fire officials were shutting off water to the pipe on Colorado and Ocean ave. Pedestrians were in amaze to see a sprout of water in front of the pier such an amazing sight to see.
Read full storyJuvenile Arrested After Stabbing Victim Multiple Times
The Santa Monica Police Department Officers responded to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon on Tuesday, October 26th at approximately 11:40 pm in the area of 5th street and Broadway. Upon those officers' arrival, they found one victim with multiple stab wounds and radioed for the Santa Monica Fire Department to treat the victim for their wounds. The victim was alert and able to give a description of the subject and multiple witnesses as well gave the same description of the subject. The suspect was located a few blocks away from the incident and was taken into custody without further incident. The female juvenile suspect was booked on charges of attempted murder and was transferred to a juvenile detention center pending charges.
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