A greater-alarm fire began Wednesday in a homeless encampment and spread to a vacant two-story commercial building, but nobody was hurt, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

The blaze at 723 S. Ocean Front Walk, which also temporarily threatened two other buildings, was reported at 6:19 a.m. and took 116 firefighters nearly 2 1/2 hours to fully extinguish, said LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey.

The flames extended through the roof of the two-story, 6,952-square-foot building, forcing firefighters into a defensive position initially, he said.

The structure was heavily damaged and is now unstable, according to the LAFD, but a damage estimate was not immediately released.

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