ATF joins investigation into Venice storage facility fire

VENICE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It took hundreds of firefighters to fight back the flames that erupted at the Extra Space Storage facility in the 600 block of Venice Boulevard on Saturday night.

The building that housed 500 storage units made of cinder block, concrete and steel burned extremely hot and caused an initial estimate of about $2 million in damages.

Eight firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Five were transported to local hospitals. All were released Sunday and are now recovering at home.

Fire investigators are now working to figure out what sparked this massive fire.

"Due to the magnitude of this fire, the Los Angeles Fire Department has reached out to the ATF and they have requested that the National Response Team be initiated and they are present," LAFD Captain Jaime Moore said at a news conference Tuesday.

Carlos A. Canino, who heads the Los Angeles office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, says their investigation could take days to complete.

"Think of 'CSI'. You have fire engineers in there. You have very senior special agents. You have very senior fire investigators. They're gonna look behind every nook and cranny," Canino said. "We have a canine accelerant dog that's going around, and that dog can smell any gasoline or any accelerant that might have been used."

Meantime, concerned Extra Space Storage customers, like James Todd, are frustrated they can't get any answers about their belongings.

"I understand that now it's a crime scene investigation, I just would just like to know if it's all wet, which is OK, or ashes," Todd said.

A sentiment not lost on fire officials -- they say they will expedite the investigation so people can get into their units. Fire officials say that will mostly likely happen early next week.