A fire badly damaged a house in Hawthorne Wednesday, and authorities were working to determine if a meth lab was in operation at the scene.
Firefighters were sent to the 4700 block of West 136th Street at about 8:50 a.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.
The fire burned through the roof of the building, and a second-alarm assignment was ordered, bringing about 70 firefighters to the scene. Firefighters went into a defensive mode, and worked to prevent the flames from spreading to other structures.
The flames were nearly extinguished within a couple hours, but some crews remained at the scene dousing hot spots. A hazardous-materials team was sent on unconfirmed reports that a meth lab was at the location, the fire department reported.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. No injuries were reported.