Fire Rips Through Abandoned Commercial Building In Long Beach

LONG BEACH, CA – Fire ripped through an abandoned two-story commercial building in Long Beach Friday morning, prompting fire alarms to go off in a nearby apartment building and residents to evacuate.

Firefighters responded about 2:30 a.m. to the 1100 block of Long Beach Boulevard, according to the Long Beach Fire Department.

"Firefighters were able to make a pretty quick knockdown, search both floors, have not found any victims," Long Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Ohs told ABC7. "The building was under partial demolition prior to the fire."

The intensity of the fire caused residents at a nearby apartment building to leave their units, Ohs said.

"Residents of apartments to the south were affected by their fire alarms. The building itself was not affected and all those residents have repopulated their apartments."

The building had previously been occupied by squatters but was empty at the time of the fire, ABC7 reported.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

City News Service