Three pets were killed and eight residents displaced early this morning when a two-alarm fire scorched three units of an apartment complex in the Zaferia neighborhood.
The fire was reported shortly after 12:50 a.m. at a four-story apartment complex on East 17th Street near Junipero Avenue, said Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson Jack Crabtree.
When firefighters arrived, they found flames coming from units on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, Crabtree said. The first floor of the building is a parking garage.
Crews had the flames knocked down within 20 minutes and rescued more than a dozen animals from the building, Crabtree said.
The blaze killed two cats and one dog, Crabtree said. No other injuries were reported.
The American Red Cross was assisting eight adults who were displaced from three apartment units, Crabtree said. One of those units had more than a dozen animals living inside.
Long Beach Animal Care Services was assisting the displaced pets.
Three apartment units had “significant fire damage and smoke throughout,” Crabtree said, adding that investigators were still working to determine the cause of the fire.
A neighbor, Noel Gonzalez, told KTLA that he believed a firework sparked the blaze after hitting the second-floor balcony of one of the units.