Fire that could have destroyed downtown central library was 25 years ago

Twenty-five years ago today, Los Angeles almost lost its downtown central library to a spectacular fire. If not for a dramatic seven-hour-plus rescue effort from city firefighters, the library most likely would have been checked out.

It took more than 350 firefighters 7 hours and 38 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which was reported at 10:52 a.m. on April 29, 1986, in the building at 630 W. Fifth St., Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

"Each time a member of your Los Angeles Fire Department walks into the magnificent Los Angeles Central Library, they take reverent pause to consider how easily it could all be gone - all of it - but for the work of more than 350 of their brothers and sisters who gave their all 25 years ago today," Humphrey said.

Fifty-five firefighters and one civilian were injured, none critically, according to a report in the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Archive.

"Extinguishing this blaze was accomplished by the maximum commitment of bravery, courage and determination to succeed by all those 350 members," according to the LAFD archive report.

"By their actions, they set a new mark for the reputation of the Los Angeles Fire Department by limiting the potential of a $160-million loss to $22 million in structure and contents fire damage," the report said. "One factor that helped prevent the loss from being larger was the recognition and implementation of salvage operations early in the

fire," the report said. "Out of over 1.2 million books that were in the library at the time of the fire, only 350,000 received any fire or water damage."

During the firefighting effort, mutual aid companies from Los Angeles County filled vacated spots at city fire stations.

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