Auto shop fire in South Gate sparks shelter-in-place order, cuts power to 500

A fire tore through a one-story commercial auto shop in South Gate on Sunday afternoon, triggering a second-alarm response, a temporary shelter-in-place order and a power outage that cut electricity to nearly 500 customers, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The blaze on the 11800 block of Industrial Avenue shut down power to hundreds of residents for several hours and prompted authorities to clear the surrounding area — underscoring the broad disruption an industrial fire can inflict on a densely populated neighborhood.

Firefighters were called to the scene around 2:40 p.m. and found the one-story commercial building engulfed, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The response was upgraded to a second alarm as crews attacked the flames from the roof and deployed ladder trucks to gain control of the fire.

Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for residents in the area around Garfield Avenue and Imperial Highway while the fire burned. A power outage linked to the blaze began just before 3:30 p.m., leaving nearly 500 customers without electricity, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

Crews knocked down the fire at 4:19 p.m. Power restoration was initially expected around 5 p.m., but by Sunday night approximately a dozen customers remained without electricity, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The shelter-in-place order expired later Sunday evening. The cause of the fire had not been immediately determined, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The cause of the fire remained undetermined as of Sunday evening, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Investigators had not released additional details about potential injuries or the extent of structural damage.