Fifty firefighters battled a fire this morning at a vacant restaurant on Soto near Olympic, where similar structure fires have been reported in the past.
The LAFD responded to the fire at 1365 S Soto St. shortly after it was reported at 5:28 AM. The blaze damaged the roof of the former, abandoned Mr. Chen restaurant and firefighters were forced to take a defensive approach to the fire.
The fire was covered live on early morning local newscasts:
LAPD officers were also on the scene to shut down the immediately affected area on Soto Street as firefighters fought the blaze. A fast-food restaurant operates on the same block, but a charter school just North of the burning structure was believed to be closed for the summer.
According to the LAFD, the fire was extinguished within 38 minutes and before it could spread to nearby buildings. The cause of the fire is currently unknown and no injuries have been reported.
