The Associated Press
 AP Photo/Nick Ut Los Angeles firefighters tackle the fire which engulfed buildings and huge stacks of pallets Monday, on a city-block-size commercial site in South Los Angeles. |
LOS ANGELES — Business owners on Tuesday will pick up the pieces and tally their losses from a fire that engulfed most of an industrial city block in South Los Angeles.
Monday afternoon’s blaze destroyed two businesses, damaged five more and leaving three people injured, authorities said.
About 180 firefighters took three hours to gain control of the fire, which was fueled by huge stacks of wooden pallets outside one of the buildings, Fire Department spokeswoman d’Lisa Davies said.
One firefighter was taken to a hospital with heat-related injuries and another suffered a cut on his arm, she said.
Several others were briefly trapped when live electrical wires fell on their fire truck. The wires were disabled and the firefighters were able to get out safely, Davies said.
One civilian had first-and-second-degree burns on his arms, Davies said.
Destroyed were an auto-repair shop and a movie sound stage.
Five other businesses including a glass company and a box company were damaged but saved by firefighters, Davies said.
Employees at all the buildings were able to evacuate before firefighters arrived.
The fire erupted about 2:15 p.m. The cause was under investigation.
Firefighters initially entered the building where the blaze broke out, but had to flee because of extreme heat after about 10 minutes and fight it from the outside, Davies said.
Adjacent wooden power poles and cars also burned.
A damage estimate was not available late Monday, Davies said, because “so many offices and companies were involved.”