and it just started jumping all over the place.' 'You see that second pole? It caught fire, and that's when it fell and it just started catching fire from there. 'They burn their food and they cook,' Hernandez said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.Ī 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.Įdison 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.Ĭhristian Hernandez, a co-owner of H&H Pallets along with his brother Elias, told KTLA5 that he believes the fire that heavily damaged his business was started at a homeless encampment in a nearby alley. Some residents left their homes voluntarily. 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. Jack Crabtree said.Īt one point, some problems were reported in maintaining water pressure at the location, and some power lines were downed. The Long Beach Fire Department sent an engine unit and a paramedic unit to cover emergency calls for Compton firefighters who were deployed to the commercial fire scene, LBFD Capt. The fire was largely extinguished within about three or four hours, but firefighters remained on scene afterward dousing hot spots. 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.įirefighters 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. near Santa Fe and Weber avenues and quickly sent up a huge plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles. (CNS) - A massive fire in an industrial area of Compton engulfed piles of wooden pallets Friday and spread to a mattress factory and multiple buses in an adjacent bus yard but was kept from spreading to a nearby apartment building.

Massive fire in compton california