A fire that engulfed three AT&T buildings in the Harbor Gateway area of Gardena early Sunday morning has left thousands of customers facing disruptions to cell phone and internet service, officials said.
The blaze, first reported around 4:30 a.m., began as a rubbish fire in bushes outside the facility along the 16200 block of Vermont Avenue, according to Captain David Fabela of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Station 27. “That rubbish fire extended up into the commercial building,” he said.
Within minutes, flames spread through three connected structures, some dating to the 1960s, that stored electronics, batteries and power systems for telecommunications equipment, Fabela said.
About 100 firefighters, including 25 separate companies, battled the blaze for five hours.
The age of the buildings, the presence of batteries, and a partial roof collapse made the fire difficult to contain, officials said. “That attic space collapsed, making it very difficult for hose streams to extinguish for full containment,” Fabela said, adding that crews adopted a defensive approach to keep firefighters safe.
One firefighter on a ladder narrowly escaped injury after being exposed to intense heat. “Initially he didn’t want to go see the doctor, but we forced him to go and get checked out,” said LAFD spokesperson David Ortiz. The firefighter was released from the hospital and is expected to be fine.
Authorities initially instructed residents of nearby apartments to close their windows and shelter in place due to concerns about smoke and potentially toxic fumes from burning batteries and electronics. The hazard was later deemed not significant, Fabela said. Fire crews are also monitoring water runoff from the site.
Witnesses described seeing flames rise high into the pre-dawn sky. James Larry, who lives a block away, said he heard a loud boom, ran to his balcony and saw “a man running away” from the building. “You might not know it but the telephone company is burning down,” he recalled telling a 911 dispatcher.
Kathy, a neighbor who lives next door, said she was afraid the fire might spread to her building. “I saw the fire and it was getting bigger and bigger,” she said. Others praised the firefighters’ quick work. “They did an excellent job because it could have spread to the auto parts store and we would have been toast up in here,” Larry said.
The incident shut down rail service and closed traffic lanes on Vermont Avenue near the 110 and 91 freeways for several hours.
AT&T confirmed the fire in a statement Sunday. “Thankfully, all of our employees are confirmed safe,” said Scott Huscher, a company spokesperson. “We are currently running on a backup power source and our Network Disaster Recovery team is deploying assets to help with any service issues our customers may experience in the area. The cause of the incident is unknown at this early stage.”
Technicians at the site said the fire’s damage could be behind patchy cell coverage in the region. “Cellular is spotty because a lot of equipment comes from this office,” one worker said.
Sara Welch’s reporting contributed to this article.