Firefighters Thursday were working to extinguish a fire in a commercial building housing a church in the Chesterfield Square area of Los Angeles.
The fire was reported in the one-story building in the 2100 block of West Slauson Avenue about 3:20 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The fire apparently started in a part of the building used for offices, and spread through a common wall to the adjacent church, according to the LAFD and reports from the scene.
Part of the roof collapsed, and firefighters went into a defensive mode, pouring water onto the outside of the structure to prevent the fire from spreading further. Three residents were evacuated from a nearby residence.
The firefighting effort was continuing after daybreak. The cause of the fire was under investigation.