A structure fire broke out internally at 4132 Vanetta Place and spread up the Sunswept hillside to the neighboring four-story building at 4124 Vanetta Place before being extinguished by first responders Jan. 8 at 8 p.m.
Contrary to news reports that suggested the fire erupted due to dry conditions, neighbors and eyewitness accounts said that news outlets were misinformed, given the pictures they took on cellular devices. Neighbors said the fire began internally at a two-story home and quickly spread up the ascending hillside due to the explosion of a propane tank between the two homes. Flames then reached the foundation of the four-story home at 4124 Vanetta Place. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Down the street, Los Angeles Fire Department Station 78 received calls of a large single-family structure fire at a single-family residence half a mile from the Upper School campus. Fire Captain Brian Harris was dispatched while monitoring local news, and units reached the intersection of Vanetta Place and Sunswept Drive, where two homes were burning.
Due to the narrow width of Vanetta Place, firefighters were forced to squeeze between parked cars, violating the city’s Red Flag Weather Warning to remove illegally parked cars in high-risk fire zones. Due to the extent of the flames, rooftop ventilation, which would otherwise aerate the gases, was impossible. One fire department helicopter assisted with water drops.
Harris noticed the four-story home’s structure weakening and ordered firefighters to retreat. Minutes later, the building collapsed, and the fire was fully contained by 10 pm. Harris said he distributed units to ensure the fire’s containment, as it threatened the hillside and dry vegetation in the surrounding neighborhood.
“As we’re going up [Sunswept], I’m listening, and there’s not too much radio traffic because we’re going to be the first ones there,” Harris reflects. “I’m looking at the map, and when we get there, I coordinate with the companies coming in to redirect some of them to go up to the top. We make the scene a ‘Structure Defense Group.’”
Harris saw the fire ascend and reach the eastern board of the four-story home. He said the structure quickly collapsed after the fire teams arrived at the scene.
“[The side] burned off within minutes, and it exposed all the heavy timber and the structural members that were holding up the house,” Harris said. “You could tell that the house was starting to sag a little bit.”
Despite being one of the most understaffed fire departments in the country, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) maintains a global reputation as a leader in structural firefighting, according to Harris. Covering a jurisdiction of 471 square miles and nearly four million people, the agency’s personnel engage in weekly training that prepares them for situations such as the Sunswept fire, Harris said.
Although the fire was controlled and contained, Harris said news outlets likely dramatized the story, given the raging Eaton and Palisades Fires.
“There’s just all different types of rescues and incidents that we train on all the time,” Harris says. “For us to see fire that night isn’t something that we haven’t ever trained. It made nationwide news, but you wouldn’t even see it on the news in Arizona if all the other wildfires weren’t going on.”
The aftermath of the Sunswept Fire mirrors the devastation seen in Palisades and Altadena. Toxic chemicals are still present in homes along Vanetta Place and Sunswept Drive.
“We want these houses taken down as soon as they can be because they’re toxic,” an anonymous neighbor said while sweeping his driveway. “What burned here is all the insulation, the paint cans and cleaning agents. What burned here wasn’t just wood.”
The morning following the fire, the neighborhood convened. While reports of crime and theft abound, the neighbors who remained in their homes barricaded the streets to support the residents of the two burned homes.
“That first night was scary,” the same resident said. “We wound up building a barricade at the end of the street and put a big light on it. There was no power up here, so we had cars driving up and down this street looking at houses. Then we hired a security guard.”
Residents living on the Sunswept hillside grappled with the unexpected impact of the fire. Hannah Biggins ’25, who lives on Sunswept Drive, said she felt both fear and gratitude for the emergency response.
“The fire made us all scared because we never thought this would happen to us, especially due to our close proximity to school,” Biggins said. “Although the fire department was on it right away, our fear puts it into perspective that you never know. It also makes me very grateful for the fire department and the community on Sunswept.”
On the main entrance of Fire Station 78 in Studio City are hand-drawn gratitude cards donated to the first responders who were dispatched to Sunswept. Harris said the Studio City community is rallying together in support of one another.
“The outpour from the public was just absolutely amazing, and we can’t thank the community enough,” Harris said. “I’ve had people bring over lunch and dinner. The Studio City community is strong.”
