A Long Beach firefighter was injured while trying to extinguish a heavy fire in a vacant home early Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Fire units responded to reports of a fire in a 2.5-story house on the 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue at 4:16AM on Tuesday, July 21, arriving on scene four minutes later and reporting heavy smoke and fire.

Concern of immediate exposure to the south of the home led fire units to request a second alarm response at 4:25AM.

At 4:36AM, firefighters determined the house was vacant but found evidence of squatters.

Firefighters extinguished the fire in just over half an hour later, at 4:50AM.

The injured firefighter sustained first and second degree burns to the back of his neck during suppression operations, authorities said. He was transported by paramedics to a local hospital.

This is the second fire at the address in the last year, according to fire investigators.

2nd Alarm House fire on Atlantic last night pic.twitter.com/4glWunJQTS

— Long Beach Fire (@lbfirefighters) July 21, 2015

Up to 50 firefighters were assigned to the incident at the height of the fire. Officials have not determined the cause of the fire.

Above, left photo courtesy of the Long Beach Fire Department. 

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