Firefighters dealt with a broken gas line as they battled a fire that tore through the attic of a laundromat in Boyle Heights Tuesday morning and caused the roof of the business to collapse.
Firefighters responded to 2230 E. First St., near Breed Street, about 12:40 a.m. and found fire coming through the roof of the structure, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The incident was declared a major emergency as 100 firefighters assumed a defensive stance, battling the flames from outside the building for more than two hours, she said.
Just before 2 a.m., Stewart said the fire was under control, but there was a broken gas main the gas company was working to shut down and a knockdown of the fire could not be called until the gas was off because it could feed the fire.
Firefighters also had trouble putting out flames inside the building because of the collapsed roof.
The gas line was shut off and a knockdown was called at 2:47 a.m.
No injuries were immediately reported.