New fire forces thousands of evacuations

LOS ANGELES - Fire Chief RALPH M. TERRAZAS will retire from the LOS ANGELES (City) FIRE DEPARTMENT effective March 26, 2022, with 38 years of service. He was hired on December 18, 1983, and has served unselfishly and professionally in the following ranks: Firefighter - December 18, 1983 Fire Inspector I - June 30, 1989 Fire Captain I - June 14, 1992 Fire Captain II - August 31, 1997 Battalion Chief - July 2, 2000 Assistant Chief - July 24, 2005 Fire Chief - August 8, 2014 Chief Terrazas achieved

The Los Angeles City Fire Department's Arson/Counter-Terrorism Section (ACTS) arrested a suspect in connection with several recent fires in Downtown Los Angeles. LAFD Investigator Badge and pair of handcuffs. Firefighters responded to reports of smoke in the early morning hours of July 19, 2024, on Kohler Street between 7th Street and 8th Street. Crews found a large outside fire, which spread to several commercial buildings. The major emergency structure fire took over five hours to extinguish,