The fire that damaged a flooring supply warehouse in Vernon early Monday flared up again on Tuesday as firefighters prepared to remain at the scene for several days due to pockets of flame inside a complex of buildings.
Thick smoke was reported early Tuesday in the industrial business area in the 5500 block of South Alameda Street near East 55th street. Fire crews initially responded to the fire Monday at around 1 a.m. at the large, one story building, which was fully engulfed in flames that spread to a nearby building that was one of four connected buildings housing the flooring supply business.
A team of 140 LAFD firefighters and another 30 firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department battled the fire. The fire was knocked down about four hours after the initial call, but the fire department warned of pocket of fire within the building that could flare-up.
The businesses were closed at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
An extensive overhaul operation will be required that could take days, the LAFD said.
Fire officials described the fire as deep-rooted in multiple areas inside the complex of buildings with several passageways. Some of the flames are in difficult-to-access areas. The fire operation could take up to seven days, fire officials said Tuesday morning.
Assistant LAFD Chief Carlos Calvillo told said firefighters had been monitoring the site when the flare-up erupted.
“You can see, we had to cut the whole side of this building open just to gain access,” he told reporters.
The cause of the fire is not yet known as the investigation continues.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a Particle Pollution Advisory through midnight Wednesday.
“Smoke from the large structure fire in Vernon that started early Monday morning is blowing toward the southwest and impacting air quality in the local area,” air quality officials said in a statement. “Light and shifting winds are expected through Wednesday night, alternating between southwest and east directions. Smoke from the incident may continue to affect local air quality depending on firefighting progress, and ash may settle in surrounding areas.”