Firefighters Mop Up After Downtown LA Fire Fueled By Chili Peppers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Firefighters spent the night putting out hot spots at the site of a non-injury blaze that fully engulfed a one-story strip mall in downtown Los Angeles.
The fire started about 6:30 p.m. Sunday inside a concrete commercial strip mall with eight to 10 units at 815 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said, adding that an official knockdown time was not declared because the incident clock was turned off.
"Large, bulky stored goods created a large fire load," she said. A large quantity of red chili peppers in the building created an additional irritant within the smoke.
As of 8 p.m. the fire had moved into the attic area of the building and 190 firefighters were at the scene. By 9 p.m. the incident clock was turned off and some fire units were released from the scene, Stewart said, with the others turning their attention to potential flare-ups.
About 65 firefighters were on site throughout the night to douse hot spots to keep the fire from flaring up again.
A fire department Urban Search and Rescue unit determined there was no structural damage, Stewart said.
No injuries were reported.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
