Shreveport Experiences Several 2-Alarm Fires in Less Than a Week

Add Feedback

Share |

The Canebrake Apartment complex was the scene of Shreveport’s 2nd two-alarm fire since Monday, December 5, 2011 where approximately forty (40) Shreveport firefighters battled the fires for more than an hour.

Shortly before midnight, Shreveport Firefighters were dispatched to the Canebrake Apartments at 8891 Sugarland Drive in southeast Shreveport. Engine 19 arrived six minutes later to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the balcony and roof of building #20.

Fire Captain Jeff Dixon immediately upgraded the incident and called for a second alarm by requesting additional manpower and equipment. It took 13 unitsâ€"44 firefighters - more than one hour to bring the fire under control which damaged three apartments and displaced 12 families. No injuries reported.

Witnesses informed fire officials that they saw initial flames coming from the balcony of a second floor apartment which was confirmed by Shreveport Fire Department investigators. The exact cause is still under investigation.

UPDATE: The Shreveport Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of McWillie and Claiborne Street this evening at 5:06 pm for a reported fire. Crews from Fire Station Number Eight at the Fair Grounds arrived on scene within four minutes to find a 15,000 square foot warehouse with heavy black smoke and flames coming from the roof.

The first responding crews arriving on scene attempted to gain entry to the building with difficulty as it had been secured for the day. At 5:13 pm the Incident Commander made the decision to dispatch a second alarm response based on the size of the warehouse, the amount of flame and smoke visible, and the inability to determine the warehouse’s contents and what was burning. At the height of the incident there were 40 firefighters assigned to 15 units on scene to battle the blaze. The fire was brought under control at 5:34 pm.

The building is owned by the City of Shreveport and is the Traffic Control Warehouse for the Public Works Department. It is used to store traffic barricades, cones, and other equipment used by Traffic Control. The warehouse normally has three workers there and all employees had left around 3:00 pm.

There was no one working at the time of the fire and there no injuries. The warehouse suffered moderate fire damage to it structure and contents. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.



Author:Shreveport Fire Department Press Release