Firefighters are investigating the cause of a commercial building fire in Boyle Heights that erupted Thursday morning. One firefighter experienced a medical emergency on scene and was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.
The fire broke out shortly after 8 a.m. at BRE Industries, a warehouse storing handbags and textiles at 3181 E Pico Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The blaze appears to have started outside the structure before extending into the building, LAFD said. Firefighters evacuated workers at nearby warehouses and worked to protect nearby structures that were at risk.
Firefighters gained control of the fire and worked to clean up hotspots into the late morning. LAFD deployed its firefighting robot, RS3, to remove burning debris from inside after the building’s structure was compromised and deemed unsafe to enter.
No civilian injuries were reported but one firefighter, a 42-year-old man, experienced a medical emergency outside of the warehouse and was taken to a local hospital, according to LAFD PIO Capt. Erik Scott. He is currently in serious but stable condition, Scott said. It is unknown whether the medical emergency was caused by the fire.
Jose Ramirez, 33, was on his way to work at a nearby warehouse when he said he witnessed a woman, who appeared to be homeless, setting fire to an encampment on the south side of the building along Grande Vista Avenue around 8 a.m.
Video he provided to The Beat shows the outside fire extending into one of the windows of the warehouse. He called 911 and said firefighters showed up in five minutes. They quickly put out the fire outside the building before realizing that the inside had caught fire as well.
“It’s surreal,” said Bobby Kavea, the tenant who rents out the building for BRE Industries. “There’s a lot of nefarious activity around here, I guess.”
All employees in the building were safely evacuated. Smoke could be seen for miles, and several street closures were in effect in the area.
According to Scott, LAFD’s arson investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and talking to witnesses as they work to determine the cause of the fire.