Dramatic Photos Of Burning Storage Unit Fire In Laguna Hills

LAGUNA HILLS, CA — An early morning fire kept Orange County Fire Authority busy all day Sunday as they worked to put out a stubborn four-alarm fire. The two-story Public Storage storage unit in Laguna Hills caught in south Orange County, on the 25000 block of Costeau Street.

Over 100 firefighters responded to the scene over the next few hours, where they took a defensive attack against the blaze.

Water, smoke and engulfing flames destroyed or damaged 135 of the units, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

Even with a roof collapse, no firefighters were reported injured from the blaze, according to OCFA Capt. Tony Bommarito, from the scene.

Of the 970 units at the two-structure, 135 units were either damaged or destroyed by either water, smoke or fire, Concialdi said.

There had been a partial wall and roof collapse and at least 100 firefighters were the scene, Bommarito said.

No injuries were reported during the initial attack. Firefighters went into defensive fire attack of the blaze at 5:15 a.m., he said. By 7:15 a.m. the fire was proclaimed knocked down by OCFA, however clean up and mop up work would ensure firefighters remained on scene for hours.

"Because of the fire load, this is going to be an all-day event," Bommarito said.

A salvage and overhaul operation took place until afternoon, as tractors were brought in to make walls safe and complete building knockdown in the areas where necessary.

Residents, who had seen the smoke and witnessed the work by OCFA brought water and snacks for on duty firefighters as a thank you.

Nearby residents who stored personal items inside this unit waited to determine what had been lost, according to media reports.

As of this report, it was unclear the total dollar amount in damages being claimed for the fire, and the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

OCFA Photos