Watts Fire 64

By Robert Sobul

I found the bench at the front doors of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Station 64, 108th and Main streets, just a few days after beginning my ride-alongs. During the four months that I shot footage of the station’s “A” Platoon for the documentary Watts Fire 64, I sat on that bench for hours. It became my refuge from the hot interiors and the intensity of the rescue calls. Sometimes, as the offshore breezes kicked up, I’d watch the patrol cars come in and out of the Los Angeles Police Department’s South Division across the street or chat with neighborhood kids who had dropped by for help with their homework. Out front with me were Rescue 64 and Rescue 864. The 1950s-era firehouse (replaced last summer with a spacious new seven-bay station) was too small to house all the crew’s vehicles, so these units were always parked outside on the sidewalk…

This article was originally published in Slake No. 1. To read all of the stories from that issue, purchase or subscribe at shop.slake.la.