Over 40 firefighters were battling a fire in the Washington neighborhood this morning that burned at least one building, a single-story Craftsman-style home, as well as an RV parked on the property.
Fire crews responded to a call of a residential fire at the corner of Locust Avenue and 14th Street at 10:37 a.m. to find the home “fully involved in flames,” said Capt. Jack Crabtree, a Long Beach Fire Department spokesman.
A large crowd quickly gathered around the scene of the fire, with firefighters asking onlookers to step back and police assisting with crowd control.
Joseph Martinez, 15, was working out at nearby 14th Street Park with his father when he noticed the fire at the nearby property. “There was a lot of crackling and popping,” Martinez said. “A couple of people started running.”
Sixty-three-year-old Mike Levizon said he lived in the RV on the property and was alerted to the fire by a fellow resident. “My friend said he smelled smoke, but I didn’t see anything,” he said. Shortly after, Levizon said he saw flames at the side of the house, which quickly spread to a nearby tree and his RV. “I grabbed some water, but it was too late.”
The full extent of the fire is still unknown according to Crabtree, but the residence was completely destroyed. “It’s a full loss,” Crabtree said.
This story has been updated to correct LBFD spokesman Jack Crabtree’s rank. He is a captain.