Chief C Mickal, NOFD Photo Unit
Seventeen NOFD units were called to busy South Carrollton Avenue.
With mid-day temperatures approaching triple digits on Sunday (July 2), the New Orleans Fire Department battled both the mid-day heat and two separate two-alarm fires.
The first occurred in an occupied two-story commercial building on South Carrollton Avenue in Gert Town. A 911 call alerted at 1:31 p.m. alerted first-responders to the fire.
After being dispatched to 3625 S. Carrollton Ave., NOFD Fire Operations personnel were confronted with a working fire involving two separate businesses, Mobile Tint and Audio auto window tinting service on the first floor and Lovely Nails salon on the second floor.
Chief C Mickal, NOFD Photo Unit
Firefighters battled heat exhaustion as they brought the blaze under control.
Firefighters had to force entry into the building through first-floor front glass doors and a rear metal door to battle the fire. The fire appeared to have started in the rear of the building somewhere between the first and second floor, the NOFD said.
A second alarm was requested at 1:50 p.m. as firefighters struggled with both the heat and the difficulty of gaining entry into the building. Seventeen NOFD units and 46 firefighters were involved in the operation.
After firefighters looked for embers in concealed areas, including in a dry-cleaning business next door, the NOFD listed the blaze as under control at 3:07 p.m.
There were no injuries reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. The New Orleans Police Department assisted with traffic control on busy Carrollton Ave and New Orleans Emergency Medical Services assisted firefighters in efforts to avoid heat exhaustion.
The second involved a two-story single structure containing three townhouses, one occupied, at 5164 Lakeview Court in New Orleans East.
Chief C Mickal, NOFD Photo Unit
The smell of smoke permeated the area after the fire broke out.
