A large fire completely engulfed a one-story commercial building in Los Angeles, California, late on Sunday, and dozens of fire officials responded to battle the blaze, according to authorities.
“The building is fully involved and the structural integrity of the building is starting to fail along at least one corner,” according to the LAFD. “Firefighters are conducting forcible entry to gain access and conduct a defensive fire attack.”
Officials said the incident quickly accelerated and became a major emergency with over 80 firefighters assigned. At the blaze’s peak, flames were seen through the roof.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles announced on Twitter that the structural blaze was large enough “to be detected from space.” The agency also included a picture of their Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites that shows the fire’s heat signature.
Officials said the cause of the fire was still under investigation and no injuries were reported. The investigation will also include the LAFD’s Arson and Counter-Terrorism division.
“There are no injuries reported and no other structures threatened,” according to the fire department. “Traffic will be heavily impacted in the area and drivers are advised to avoid the area. This will be an extended operation.”
More than 80 firefighters managed to successfully extinguish the majority of the flames in about 70 minutes, and they also successfully prevented the flames from spreading to nearby structures.
“Over 80 firefighters made significant progress and extinguished the majority of the large blaze,” the fire department announced in an alert.
“The remaining pockets of fire are difficult to reach with exterior hose lines and due to the structural instability, crews will remain in the defensive mode,” it added. “Therefore, this will continue to be an active, extended operation.”
Margaret Stewart, a spokesperson for the LAFD, noted that the business appeared to be “a wood-working operation.”
