Boyle Heights commercial building fire: 3 firefighters injured

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Three firefighters were injured while battling a huge blaze that erupted at a commercial building in the Boyle Heights area on Wednesday.

The fire was first reported around 12:50 p.m. in the 2800 block of E. Pico Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The inferno created a huge plume of thick, black smoke that could be seen for miles.

Authorities said 103 LAFD personnel were assigned to battle the blaze. According to fire officials, three firefighters were injured. One firefighter partially fell through the roof and suffered burns, and the other two firefighters were injured trying to help the first firefighter.

"They grabbed him and were able to pull him out to safety," said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott. Scott said the extent of the burns sustained by the firefighters were being assessed.

All of the injuries appeared not to be life threatening, authorities said. No other injuries were reported.

The fire was knocked down at 2:45 p.m. The official cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

The owner of the building, a clothing importer, said he was having a new lighting system installed at the time of the fire. The owner said the lights caught on fire as workers were installing them.