Firefighters have concluded a defensive, hours-long battle against a “stubborn” fire at a vacant two-story commercial building in West Los Angeles that featured a controlled demolition, authorities said Tuesday.
Crews were sent to the 2000 block of South Bundy Drive, near Olympic Boulevard, at about 6:15 a.m. Monday, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Brian Humphrey told City News Service.
The firefighters went into a defensive mode outside the building and worked to prevent the flames from spreading to other nearby structures, including a hardware store.
Flames were burning deep within tons of smoldering debris created by the fire in the 53,500-square-foot building, Humphrey said. Bulldozers and other heavy mechanized equipment were at the scene to assist in strategic demolition and physical hazard abatement.
“Well-coordinated and methodical efforts continue to fully extinguish deeply entrenched pockets of stubborn flames throughout the vacant and boarded 53,500-square-foot two-story commercial building, the site of previous fires, that has sustained severe structural damage from today’s blaze,” Humphrey said in a statement late Monday morning.
“Though no injuries have been reported, and no escalating or off-site hazard identified, pursuant to protocol, an LAFD Hazardous Materials team and Department of Building & Safety inspector have assessed the location, and environmental officials have been notified of the firefighting efforts and controlled demolition related to the unstable structure,” the statement said.
Humphrey told KNX that a homeless person was seen leaving the building, which had been vacant for a couple of years, but was not injured.
All lanes on Bundy Drive between Olympic Boulevard and La Grange Avenue were closed until firefighters completed their operation. The fire was fully extinguished around 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to the fire department.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.