A blaze that erupted at a commercial building in Watts was quickly brought under control by Los Angeles firefighters, authorities say. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) reported that the fire broke out in the evening of March 31 at 9915 S Compton Avenue. Flames were battling in the rear portion of a laundry/cleaners housed in a 25 by 50-foot structure, as per a statement on the LAFD website. The incident was listed as #1394.
The LAFD, working in automatic aid with the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), managed to quickly access the site and to thoroughly extinguish the fire. According to the same LAFD report, it took 44 firefighters just 29 minutes from response to knockdown, a term used when a fire has been significantly diminished and is under control. There were no injuries reported at the scene, and the cause of fire is now under investigation.
The affected building is located within Council District 15. Responding units included Battalion Chief 13, along with multiple engines and task forces. Aside from LAFD's Fire Station 65 crews, resources from Battalion 1 also assisted.
Further information regarding the blaze and subsequent investigation will be closely monitored, with officials striving to understand and to prevent similar incidents in the future. Detailed information concerning the damage to the building and the impact on the business has not been released yet. For now, the quick response of the LAFD and LACoFD has averted what could have been a more severe disaster, reaffirmed by the comprehensive fire suppression efforts detailed on the official LAFD announcement.
