A “major emergency” fire destroyed an AutoZone and damaged two other businesses in Hollywood on Saturday.
The fire was first reported in the 1300 block of North Highland Avenue around 4:20 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building, which is part of an L-shaped, one-story mall.
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About 10 minutes later, large flames began to shoot out of the roof, visible on SkyCal overhead. Firefighters could also be seen using ladders to extinguish the fire from above.
Crews reported that the building suffered “structural damage” as a result of the fire, which took just over two hours to extinguish.
Firefighters said the fire “completely destroyed the AutoZone auto parts store and caused significant damage to two adjacent restaurants.” The other two businesses were Fat Sal’s sandwich shop and Sushi Ajito.
Work continued into Sunday morning as workers extinguished the still smoldering embers.
It is unclear how the fire started and whether there were any injuries.
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“While the initial 911 callers described an ‘explosive fire’ that appeared to be related to a ‘battery’ inside the auto parts store, the specific cause of the fire remains the focus of an active Fire Department investigation.” LAFD stated. press release.
Highland Avenue, between De Longpre Street and Lexington Avenue, was closed off until firefighters extinguished the fire.
