3 Firefighters Hurt In Long Beach Strip Mall Fire

LONG BEACH, CA — Three firefighters were injured in an early morning blaze at a strip mall in Long Beach, fire officials said.

The fire was reported on the 5600 block of Atlantic Ave. at 4:28 a.m., where footage posted on Twitter by the Long Beach Fire Department showed smoke billowing from tall flames.

Two firefighters were hospitalized for treatment of minor burns and one was treated for heat-related illness, according to Long Beach Firefighter-Paramedic Brian Fisk. The burned firefighters were released Saturday and the third firefighter was expected to be released during the day. Each was expected to make a full recovery.

The first arriving units saw heavy smoke and flames on the roof of the strip mall and called for a second-alarm response, Fisk said. A third- alarm response was called when it was determined the blaze could only be fought from the outside in defensive mode and 20-25 firefighters would be needed in total.

The flames were out about 5:20 a.m., according to an LBFD post on Instagram.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation and the damage assessment was not yet complete, Fisk said. "A few businesses won't be able to reopen anytime soon," he noted.

Fire investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

City News Service contributed to this report.