Firefighters Prevent Flames From Destroying South L.A. Hardware Store

SOUTH LOS ANGELES - An outside fire involving flammable construction materials quickly spread inside a South Los Angeles hardware business on Saturday night, but an hour-plus effort by Los Angeles Firefighters spared 95% of the firm's inside inventory from damage.

Reported as a rubbish fire to the rear of 205 West Florence Avenue at 9:24 PM on January 7, 2012, the flames had spread to threaten a one-story row of businesses at 155 West Florence Avenue as the first Los Angeles Fire Department crew arrived.

With additional firefighters on the way, LAFD personnel tenaciously attacked the flames, which took stubborn hold in the attic of a heavily remodeled 150' x 200' one-story building that housed a hardware store.

Decades of remodeling hampered the battle, as firefighters encountered highly compartmentalized spaces, a double roof and multiple types of construction - that led a portion of the building to collapse.

Despite these challenges, firefighters held the flames to the attic and outside property, sparing valuable inventory. It took the combined effort of 107 LAFD personnel just 75 minutes to extinguish the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Fire loss to Jalisco Hardware was limited to $275,000 ($200,000 structure and $75,000 contents). The cause of the after-business-hours fire remains under active investigation.

Dispatched Units: E33 E233 T33 E264 T64 RA833 RA33 E57 E46 SQ21 EM11 BC13 BC11 E9 E15 E266 T66 DC2 E14 E215 T15 EM9 BC4 T3 E203 E5 RA5 UR88 BC1 RA803 UR3 AR1 RT59 E21 E226 T26 EA1

(photos/slideshow)

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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