Caught on Video: Roof Collapses During Battle of Greater Alarm Church Fire in East Hollywood

EAST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (KNN) — The Los Angeles Fire Department battled a Greater Alarm blaze that consumed an abandoned church in the 1000 block of North Heliotrope Drive in East Hollywood early Tuesday morning.

Upon arrival, LAFD crews immediately began defensive firefighting operations at a vacant, boarded, one-story former church.

Structural compromise became evident as the walls were observed to be buckled, according to Brian Humphrey, spokesperson for the LAFD.

At one point, while firefighters were on top of the 4,100 square foot building near the edge by an LAFD ladder, a partial collapse of what appeared to be the roof occurred as observed in the beginning of this KNN video from the scene.

A short time later, it appeared that another possible collapse occurred prompting firefighters to quickly pull ladders away from the side of the building as flames increased in size.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Humphrey said information regarding damage to the building has not yet been made available.

It took 96 LAFD firefighters 57 minutes to extinguish the flames.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Gabriel Pabon, Video Journalist / KNN