Fire at South LA battery storage facility causes explosion

No injuries have been reported after a fire at a battery storage facility in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles, near Gardena and Inglewood, caused an explosion on Sunday

The fire was first reported at around 4:30 a.m. in the 16000 block of S. Vermont Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews say that the building caught fire after flames spread from a nearby trash fire. 

They said that the building doubled as battery storage and a subterranean electrical vault. When the attic of the became involved with flames, firefighters said there was a small explosion that caused the roof to partially collapse. 

"It took the combined effort of 144 firefighters 5 hours ... in defensive mode to contain the complex fire and mitigate various safety considerations," said a news release from LAFD. "Multiple LAFD units, including Hazmat, will remain on scene to monitor and control any fire or life safety hazards due to the large amount of lead-acid batteries burning at this commercial occupancy."

The fire was extinguished at around 10:30 a.m., firefighters said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

No injuries were reported.