Firefighters battled a blaze that burned through a commercial building in Boyle Heights late Monday night.
The fire was reported at 11:30 p.m. at 1601 E. First St. and was growing quickly, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Firefighters arrived to find a deep-seated fire sending flames towering over the structure. Video showed the blaze was burning at A&B Liquor Market.
Crews had a difficult time making entry into the structure, and went into a defensive operation, deploying ladder pipes and large diameter hand lines to battle the flames, LAFD said in an alert.
More than an hour later, firefighters were still faced with a long battle ahead as pockets of fire burned in areas too difficult for firefighters to reach.
Complicating efforts, the structural integrity of the building was compromised, with cracks forming in the walls as the fire burned.
Around 1 a.m., firefighters had the bulk of the fire extinguished but expected to remain at the scene for several hours.
No injuries were reported early Tuesday morning.
It’s unclear what sparked the blaze. Arson investigators were responding overnight to probe the scene.