Fire ripped through an L-shaped commercial building in East Hollywood Wednesday morning and firefighters needed nearly 40 minutes to extinguish the flames.

The fire was reported in the 600 block of North Normandie Avenue, near Melrose Avenue, at 4:27 a.m., according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters received reports of people possibly trapped inside, but two searches of the building turned up no occupants, she said.

A total of 82 firefighters extinguished the fire in 38 minutes and a knockdown was called at 5:05 a.m., Stewart said.

“Their aggressive actions limited the fire from extending down through the building,” Stewart said.

An approximately 40-year-old man was evaluated on scene for reported smoke inhalation and taken to a hospital in unknown condition, she said. No other injuries were reported.

Due to the size of the fire, LAFD Arson Section investigators were called to the scene to try to determine the cause of the fire, she said.

Traffic around the area of Normandie and Melrose avenues would be impacted until further notice, Stewart said.

>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!