fire company

The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched 16 fire companies who fought the blaze for 42 minutes before it was extinguished at 6:37 p.m., according to spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

Since Benjamin Franklin organized the emerging nation’s first unpaid fire company in Philadelphia in 1736, volunteering has been as definitively American as Girl Scout cookies, blood donation and school bake sales.

“The fire companies had then, and many still preserve now, the aura of blue collar men’s clubs with pool tables and recreational halls,” he wrote.

Santa and crew immediately went into service, evacuating the occupants who were unaware of the fire with the assistance of several other fire companies.

The fire company confirmed that the dog had been reunited with his owner.