Three firefighters suffered minor heat-related injuries Wednesday while battling a stubborn fire that burned through the roof of a strip mall in Monterey Park.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the four-alarm fire, which was reported about 7:30 a.m. at Moore and Garvey avenues, according to the Monterey Park Police Department.
Garvey Avenue was closed between Chandler and Ynez avenues, and Moore Avenue was closed between Garvey and Emerson avenues. The closures were expected to last well into the night, police said.
The fire apparently smoldered in a relatively inaccessible area of the common attic of the structure before penetrating the roof. Firefighters went into a defensive mode, and worked for several hours to prevent the flames from spreading to other structures.
The blaze was knocked down at 12:05 p.m., but crews were still mopping up nearly two hours later, according to a fire dispatcher.
Several fire departments from surrounding communities assisted Monterey Park personnel in battling the flames.
— Wire reports