A massive fire in an industrial area of Compton lit up the sky Friday morning, engulfing piles of wooden pallets and spreading to multiple buses in an adjacent bus yard but resulting in no injuries.
The fire was reported about 4:45 a.m. near Santa Fe and Weber avenues, and a huge plume of black smoke could be seen for miles.
Firefighters from the Compton Fire Department were assisted by personnel from the Los Angeles County, Santa Fe Springs, Montebello and Downey fire departments, according to reports from the scene.
The firefighters worked to prevent flames from spreading outside the perimeter of the commercial property, an effort that appeared to have been successful.
No injuries were reported, according to the Compton Fire Department.
The firefighting effort was continuing nearly four hours after the fire was first reported, but largely consisted of dousing hot spots.
The Long Beach Fire Department was prepared to send personnel, if needed, to cover fire calls for Compton firefighters who were deployed to the commercial fire scene, LBFD Capt. Jack Crabtree said.
At one point, some problems were reported in maintaining water pressure at the location, and some power lines were downed.
Traffic was routed away from the area to accommodate firefighting equipment staged at the site, but no evacuations were ordered, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported. Some residents left their homes voluntarily.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
A source within the Compton Fire Department told the Los Angeles Times that the call initially came in as a “pole fire” involving Southern California Edison equipment.
Edison spokesman Robert Villegas told The Times that at least three nearby customers were without power and that repair crews were in the area, but he could not provide further details about the blaze.