Firefighters are battling a ferocious blaze that quickly consumed much of a three-story apartment building in Pico Rivera, prompting evacuations and leaving at least one person injured Thursday afternoon, according to KTLA.
The three-alarm fire was reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the 9100 block of Burke Street, a Los Angeles County Fire Department official said.
There was heavy smoke and flames coming from a vacant unit when firefighters arrived, county fire Inspector Gustavo Medina told KTLA.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed a large three-story building with massive plumes of smoke and flames rising from the roof. The building appeared to be well involved, and firefighters were moving off the structure shortly after 4 p.m.
The blaze is particularly complex because the building has a common attic, meaning there’s no barrier between units, Medina said.
“Once the fire got into the attic, it just spread, and it caused the damage that you see,” he said.
One person was taken to the hospital with injuries, the inspector said. No details on that person’s condition were immediately available.
About 100 firefighters were responding and were evacuating residents and working to protect structures around the burning building, Medina said.
A second nearby building was also showing smoke rising from the roof, and firefighters could be seen working inside. The buildings appeared to be part of the Corsica Apartment Homes complex.
A Sheriff’s Department lieutenant said deputies were on scene helping with evacuationsand crowd control.
All residents were evacuated, the Fire Department said on Twitter. The Red Cross was called to help residents.
The fire was likely visible from the nearby 5 and 605 freeways, if not from farther away.
