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Centinela Fire damages 7 Mar Vista businesses
Los Angeles firefighters battle the Centinela Fire on Sunday, May 7, 2017.
(
LAFD via Twitter
)
Los Angeles firefighters battle the Centinela Fire on Sunday, May 7, 2017.
(
LAFD via Twitter
)
Los Angeles firefighters battle the Centinela Fire on Sunday, May 7, 2017.
(
LAFD via Twitter
)
Seven business were damaged Sunday afternoon when fire tore through a half-block stretch of Mar Vista.
The fire at 3519 S. Centinela Ave., just south of Palms Blvd., was reported to the Los Angeles Fire Department by a passerby shortly before noon.
"By the time firefighters arrived at the scene there was a towering column of smoke in the air and a very aggressive and well entrenched fire in the common attic of this seven-business building," LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey tells KPCC.
Most of the businesses were closed at the time and firefighters had to make a forcible entry into all seven businesses, according to Humphrey.
It took 119 firefighters 95 minutes to put out the flames. Firefighters remain at the site as they continue the mop-up.
No injuries were reported. Firefighters have not pinpointed the cause of the fire, which remains under investigation.
The strip mall includes a pizzeria, a dry cleaners and a pool supply company, among other businesses. All of the businesses sustained damage and will be closed for some period of time.
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