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South Gate fire: Massive industrial blaze blankets Los Angeles with smoke; videos emerge
Authorities also have not confirmed whether nearby businesses were evacuated as a precaution.
A massive commercial building fire broke out in South Gate, California, on Sunday, sending thick black smoke billowing across parts of the Los Angeles area.
LA County Fire Department wrote on X, "2ND ALARM COMMERCIAL BUILDING FIRE | FS57 | 11800 block Industrial Ave South Gate | At approx 2:40 p.m., #LACoFD arrived on scene of a one story building with smoke and fire showing. Crews are currently in defensive mode."
Videos circulating online showed dense black smoke pouring into the sky.
Officials have not yet released details about what sparked the fire or the extent of the damage to the building.
Authorities also have not confirmed whether nearby businesses were evacuated as a precaution.
As of now, no injuries have been reported.
Firefighters remain at the scene working to contain the blaze.
Also Read: Brooklyn building fire: Two killed, several injured as blaze tears through apartment — what we know
Witness reports
Several witnesses and local residents took to social media to report the incident.
One person wrote, "LA county is a bunch of fun right now. Besides the Garden Grove incident, theres two giant plumes from fires in the area. One looks to be by the ports and the other is east of the 605. Anyone know what the fires are?"
Another added, "Unfortunate Structure fire in South Downey area. Hopefully everyone got out before it grew too large."
Also Read: California chemical tank heating up after evacuation in LA suburb: Fire official
Garden Grove chemical leak
The South Gate fire comes as officials continue responding to a separate chemical leak crisis in Garden Grove, about 28 miles away. Authorities have stressed that the two incidents are not connected.
The Garden Grove emergency began Thursday afternoon at the GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems facility on Western Avenue, where a 34,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate overheated and started releasing vapors. Methyl methacrylate is a highly flammable industrial chemical commonly used in the production of acrylic plastics.
The leak prompted the evacuation of roughly 50,000 residents from nearby areas. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday. He later announced that state officials had requested a federal emergency declaration from President Donald Trump to assist with ongoing response and recovery efforts.
