Roughly 75 firefighters battled a blaze at a large one-story storage-and-shipping building in Los Alamitos on Tuesday morning, May 24, authorities said, knocking it down in just over two hours.
Orange County firefighters were called to the 10800 block of Kyle Street just past 5:30 a.m. and found heavy fire in the roof, said Capt. Sean Doran of the Orange County Fire Authority.
Firefighters initiated a defensive attack, staying outside the building while using truck ladders to pour heavy streams of water onto the fire, Doran said.
Because of the fire and the water weight, the roof of the building collapsed, he said.
No injuries had been reported.
Firefighters, including some from Long Beach, kept the fire from spreading to nearby structures. Knockdown was declared just before 7:40 a.m., with firefighters remaining on scene to monitor for hotspots.
The business deals “predominantly in books,” Doran said.
Investigators inspected the outside of the building and interviewed witnesses. When safe, they would go inside in hopes of determining the fire’s origin and cause.
“They’re super methodical, and they’ll start on the outside and work their way in after the interviews and viewing any available footage,” the captain said.
