Firefighters Battle Blaze, Explosion At Los Angeles Building

LOS ANGELES, CA — Some residents in the Gardena/Harbor Gateway area were being asked to shelter in place Sunday as firefighters battled a blaze at a commercial building that was causing a large amount of battery storage burn- off.

Crews were dispatched at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday to a commercial building at 16208 S. Vermont Ave., the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. An outside rubbish fire extended into the structure's attic, prompting a small explosion and a roof compromise.

Firefighters then transitioned to defensive firefighting mode due to the conditions.

"LAFD continues to evaluate and adjust firefighting operations with emphasis on both firefighter and community safety due to the large amount of battery storage currently burning off," the department said in an update later Sunday morning.

"The primary goal is to keep the fire confined to the building of origin."

More than 100 firefighters were on the scene. LAFD Hazmat specialists were monitoring air quality and water runoff to ensure safe operating conditions, and the LADWP was on scene working to de-energize the structure for additional safety.

"This fire is emitting a lot of toxic material into the air, so as a precaution we asked the neighboring apartment buildings to shelter in place, close your windows, re-circulate air and make sure that they're not breathing any of this hazardous air," the LAFD's David Ortiz told reporters at the scene.
Firefighters achieved a knockdown of the fire at about 10:30 a.m.

"Multiple LAFD units, including Hazmat, will remain on scene to monitor and control any fire or life safety hazards due to the large amount of lead-acid batteries burning at this commercial occupancy," the department said.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not clear.

— City News Service