Overnight fire rips through multiple South LA businesses

South LA business owner reacts to fire damages

Some business owners in South LA are left dealing with the losses following an overnight fire.

LOS ANGELES - A major structure fire broke out early Thursday morning in the Harvard Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles, damaging four businesses but causing no injuries. More than 120 firefighters responded and brought the blaze under control in under an hour.

What we know:

An official with the Los Angeles Fire Department said the blaze was reported just before 2:30 a.m. at a row of one-story commercial buildings located at 1721–1741 West Slauson Avenue avenues.

Overnight fire destroys South LA businesses

Intense flames tore through multiple businesses in South Los Angeles overnight.

 A total of 121 LAFD firefighters worked for 46 minutes to access, confine, and fully extinguish the fire.

According to LAFD Battalion Chief Mattias Wikstrom, the fire started behind a wood shop along Slauson and Western avenues. A total of four businesses were damaged in the incident, including Pete’s Cabinets, Aguirre’s Upholstery, a flower shop, and the wood shop itself.

As crews worked to contain the fire, residents in several apartment units located behind the affected businesses were briefly evacuated as a precaution.

What they're saying:

Witnesses reported hearing several explosions, describing the sounds as similar to fireworks.

Firefighters were seen using a power saw to gain access to one of the gated businesses.

What we don't know:

The cause of the fire remains under active investigation, and officials have not yet released an official cause.