The Boyd Street Fire 2025 became one of the most terrifying and unforgettable incidents firefighters have ever faced. This video shows the real chaos, explosions, thick smoke, and life-threatening moments as brave firefighters battle a fire that spiraled out of control within seconds.
In this documentary-style footage, you’ll see: • On-ground scenes from the Boyd Street incident • Firefighters fighting through flames and toxic smoke • Real radio communication • Survivors recalling the near-fatal moments • The emotional aftermath of the disaster
⚠️ WARNING: Contains intense scenes. Viewer discretion advised. ✔️ Educational + documentary purpose ❌ Do NOT copy, re-upload, or use this footage anywhere.
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00:00It was supposed to be a routine call, a small structure fire in downtown Los Angeles, something the busy firefighters of Station 9 handled every day.
00:14But what began as a standard response would transform into one of the most harrowing incidents in LAFD history, changing the lives of 11 firefighters forever.
00:24On the roof of a burning building, a combination of illegal storage, hazardous materials, and a rapidly deteriorating situation will turn a typical Sunday evening into a desperate fight to escape.
00:42As evening rolled in on Saturday, May 16, 2020, the firefighters at Fire Station 9 in Skid Row were just having what felt like a regular day.
00:52Situated in downtown Los Angeles, Station 9 is the busiest firehouse in the U.S., handling around 100 emergency calls every day.
01:02Captain Scott Barkley was on shift that day with 18 other firefighters.
01:07The station had a special bond, built through the constant pressure of being the busiest.
01:12The crew had just wrapped up dinner and were playing a game to see who would do the dishes.
01:16A fun Station tradition, Captain Barkley rolled snake eyes and got stuck with dish duty, which made everyone chuckle.
01:25Just as he was making his way to the sink, the alarm rang out.
01:29Rescue 209 on 9, been attached to the structure fire, 327 void.
01:33The team from Station 9 put on their gear and jumped into their trucks.
01:37Rescue 209 and other units were also called to the scene.
01:40The first firefighting units arrived on scene within four minutes of the call.
01:47Captain Barkley and his team spotted light to moderate smoke coming from a one-story commercial building in a place locals call Bong Road,
01:55a district filled with shops selling smoking products, glassware, and butane canisters.
02:02They thought they knew what was happening, and it seemed like a routine call-out.
02:06As firefighters tried to get into the building through the rolling steel doors, they ran into some issues.
02:13The first door they had opened revealed storage racks stuffed all the way to the ceiling, blocking their way in.
02:20We're trying to find an entrance.
02:22It's going to be really hard for us to get in.
02:24We got a moderate amount of smoke right now coming out of the side.
02:27They opened a nearby door and found a narrow hallway about four to five feet wide.
02:32It was so tight that they had to pass through it one by one.
02:35While some firefighters entered the building, Captain Barkley took a crew up to the roof to start ventilating the smoke.
02:42The roof team assessed the situation and noticed moderate fumes, almost white in color, billowing from the back of the building.
02:50At around 6.45 p.m., fully decked out in helmets and safety gear, the upper team began ventilation work.
02:57They got to about the 75-yard line of the building and made their first ventilation hole, or keyhole.
03:03One firefighter on the top spotted something odd about the smoke coming from the ventilation hole.
03:09He said it looked like a wavy, distorted kind of smoke condition, similar to what you see behind a jet engine over hot asphalt.
03:18Despite the strange behavior, no one called for an evacuation at this point.
03:23Another firefighter glanced toward the back of the building and noticed flames shooting out sideways, instead of rising up like they usually do.
03:32Back at the scene, conditions were rapidly deteriorating both inside and on the roof.
03:38Firefighters inside had made it about three to four and a half meters past the entrance when they came across a ladder with just a two-foot gap to get through.
03:46They realized that if something went wrong and they needed to get out fast, this would be a problem.
03:53Using a pike pole, they found a mezzanine above them.
03:57Then, out of nowhere, visibility dropped dramatically.
04:01The smoke changed from brownish and cold, hanging below their eyelines, to completely black, like something had slammed a door behind them.
04:10At about 6.57 p.m., they started to hear a rumbling noise, which some first thought was just the roof team stomping around.
04:19Then, they heard popping sounds that were like little Chinese firecrackers.
04:24The popping got louder and more frequent over the next 30 to 60 seconds.
04:28By 7 p.m., the building started to vibrate and sway.
04:33Captain Barkley, still on the roof, said it felt like standing directly under a roller coaster as it goes by you.
04:40But it's just not stopping.
04:42Inside, the heat intensified dramatically.
04:45Back up! Back up!
04:48Back up! Back up!
04:52Back up!
04:53Back up! Back up!
04:54Back up!
04:54Back up!
04:54Back up!
04:55The popping sounds became extremely loud, describing as sounding like the space shuttle or a freight train.
05:02At 7.01 p.m., an explosion occurred inside the building.
05:07A massive fireball erupted through the structure, engulfing firefighters both inside and on the roof.
05:14Geraldine Cleveland, watching from her apartment three blocks away, saw the explosion clearly.
05:20Everyone in my building thought there was a bomb that went off, she later recalled.
05:24It was like a mushroom.
05:25The explosion was so intense that it blackened a fire engine parked across the street and melted the responders' helmets.
05:33The blazing heat burned right through their protective coats and hoods.
05:38Captain Barkley and the roof team were getting ready to evacuate when everything flashed.
05:43Those inside got knocked to their hands and knees by the force in heat.
05:48Firefighters inside the building ran into the ladder that was in their path.
05:52Now, even worse, because it was stuck at a 45-degree angle and completely blocking their exit.
05:59Crouching in the hallway, one crew member tried to move it, but badly burned his back when he stood up.
06:05On the roof, Captain Barkley urged his team to get to the aerial ladder that had been moved into place by a fire truck in the street below and escape.
06:12Come on, let's move, he shouted, pushing them towards it.
06:17The problem was that the ladder was on fire.
06:20Some firefighters were frightened, finding it hard to move.
06:24Others, overcome with adrenaline, just ran and jumped onto the aerial ladder.
06:29As they tried to climb down the aerial ladder, the firefighters looked down to see flames coming out from the front of the building directly below them.
06:37I looked at myself, and everything is, uh, just completely on fire.
06:41You know, my hands, my arms, my facepiece, my helmet.
06:46Captain Barkley and his crew were facing a terrifying situation.
06:50They were stuck on the aerial ladder with fire all around them.
06:54Then, there was a second explosion, and another fireball completely engulfed the team.
06:59A firefighter on the aerial ladder tried to pull himself down, but found his axe wedged between the sections of the ladder, trapping him.
07:08He said it felt like there was 300 pounds to him, stopping him from moving.
07:13Some firefighters thought about jumping from the ladder, but noticed there was fire all the way down to the street.
07:19One closed his eyes and started praying, begging God to stop the pain.
07:24At 7.04 p.m., a Mayday call went out over the radio.
07:29Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, all companies are up, out of the building.
07:32Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, all crew members have a Mayday situation.
07:36Crew members, who had already made it off the aerial ladder, rushed back to assist their trapped colleagues.
07:42Captain Barkley was pulled headfirst down the aerial ladder with such force that his equipment came loose.
07:47Another firefighter mentioned being dangling upside down on the truck after someone grabbed his foot to stop him from falling.
07:56Inside the building, firefighters were crawling over each other, trying to get out.
08:00Some Engine 9 members were forced to crawl up onto the storage racks to escape.
08:05The scene outside was chaotic, with injured personnel scattered on the ground.
08:10I'm literally crawling in the street now, and I'm looking around, and it's a ghost town.
08:15Nobody's around.
08:16Please, somebody, somebody just spray water on me, like my head is on fire, my arms are on fire.
08:23An engineer from Engine 9, Scott Brennan, grabbed a hose line and began watering down injured teammates.
08:29The radiant heat from the fire was so intense, it ignited homeless tents on the sidewalk across the street.
08:36By 7.10 p.m., the situation was critical.
08:39An engineer from Engine 9, I have two dead firefighters in front of Chuck 9.
08:46I see from Engine 9, I have six firefighters down on the front outside of the building.
08:54We need help.
08:55Ambulances started taking injured firefighters to the hospital.
08:58By 8.08 p.m., the major emergency blaze was declared extinguished.
09:03One hour and 42 minutes after it was first reported.
09:07Over 230 LAFD firefighters had responded to tackle the fire.
09:12Investigators began examining the scene to figure out what caused the fire.
09:16They found out it was a business called Smoketokes, a warehouse that dealt with supplies for butane honey oil.
09:24In the days and weeks that followed, investigators conducted over 60 interviews with firefighters involved in the incident and sifted through the wreckage of the burnt-out building.
09:34They determined that the explosion was caused by nitrous oxide whippets and butane canisters stored in the building.
09:41The structure was divided into two sections with a partition wall that wasn't fire-blocked, which helped the fire spread.
09:49Unit A contained ordinary combustibles, while Unit B was filled with pallets of nitrous oxide whippets and butane canisters.
09:57The nitrous oxide began to off-gas at approximately 106 degrees Fahrenheit, which created a quick oxidation that, when mixed with the butane, led to explosions.
10:09The Darrell building acted like a nozzle for the flames, making the fire even more intense.
10:15All 11 injured responders were taken to LAC USC Medical Center.
10:20At the hospital, three of them were in critical but stable condition, and two were placed on ventilators to help with their breathing.
10:26Captain Barkley was one of the seriously injured.
10:30Many of the injured firefighters, including Captain Barkley, had to go through multiple surgeries and faced long recoveries.
10:37One responder reported having had 25 surgeries already, with more to come.
10:43Firefighters struggled with both physical injuries and PTSD from the incident.
10:48The 2020 Boyd Street Fire stands as one of the most dramatic incidents in LAFD history.
10:54Eleven firefighters were injured, but thankfully, all of them survived, although many suffered life-changing injuries.
11:02Captain Barkley and his team demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of a rapidly deteriorating situation.
11:09Their training, equipment, and quick thinking meant they managed to avoid what could have been an even more tragic situation.
11:16The LAFD has put out new policies in place about when fire crews should wear face pieces and go on air,
11:23as this protective equipment likely saved lives during the Boyd Street Fire.
11:28For witnesses like Geraldine Cleveland, the incident provided a rare glimpse into the danger's firefighters' face.
11:36From her rooftop vantage point, she saw firsthand how quickly a routine call can turn into a life-threatening emergency.
11:43If you found this video interesting, please consider subscribing.
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