NEW DETAILS: Blaze damages dozens of units at El Centro storage facility
30+ firefighters called in to battle fire at A-American Self-Storage
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The El Centro Fire Department (ECFD) now says a fire at a storage facility damaged as many as 90 units, 40 of them severely.
An El Centro police officer first noticed smoke coming from A-American Self-Storage on N. Imperial Avenue around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. Minutes later the first fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke pouring from the building. They called in a second crew, but needed more manpower. About a half an hour after the initial report, the situation became a three-alarm blaze.
Eventually crews from the City of Imperial, County of Imperial, City of Holtville, City of Calexico, City of Brawley, City of Westmorland, and Centinela State Prison FD, Calipatria State Prison FD, and NAF El Centro Fire Departments arrived to help knock down the flames. Firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings, but could not save many of the storage units.
It took a total of 37 firefighters nearly seven hours to put out the fire. Crews finally left the scene just before 8:30 Wednesday night.
Firefighters still don't know how the blaze started, but they are investigating. ECFD asks any witnesses or individuals with information to call (760) 337-4530.
