Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA: Firefighters battled a greater alarm structure fire in a strip mall in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles early Thursday morning, Feb. 9.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire around 1:48 a.m. on the 1800 block of North Cahuenga Boulevard and found heavy smoke and fire showing in a one-story L-shaped strip mall.

Dean Zipperman, Assistant Chief with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, reported from the location that approximately 84 firefighters were on the scene battling a fire that was upgraded to a greater alarm level.

According to Zipperman, it appears at this time that the fire may have originated in the laundromat at the location. The fire spread to the adjacent 7-Eleven store via common attic. The blaze was contained to those two businesses in the mall.

Occupants in a nearby building self-evacuated as a precaution and occupants in a motel close to the fire sheltered in place. Both structures remained safe during the fire.

Firefighters fought the flames in defensive operations and continued to work on hot spots of the fire, according to Zipperman. He also mentioned the facade of the building failed due to the fire load in the attic which is common for them to fail during a fire. Firefighters were aware of the potential collapse and kept a safe distance away.

Zipperman said there were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported. Both businesses were unoccupied at the time of the fire.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and under investigation.

Keith Johnson, Video Journalist / KNN

© 2023 Key News Network