LAFD

Firefighters knock down flames at Harvard Heights church

No injuries were reported in the fire west of downtown Los Angeles.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Fire damaged a two-story church Friday afternoon in Los Angeles' Harvard Heights area.

The fire was reported before 1 p.m. in the 2000 block of South Oxford Avenue in the community west of downtown Los Angeles. No injuries were reported.

About 60 firefighters knocked down flames in 49 minutes, the LAFD said.

"Crews had to locate and access fire within walls of one portion of the large church building and chase it through to ensure there were no pockets of fire remaining," the LAFD said in a statement. "The primary and secondary searches are clear with no one located inside."

Details about a cause were not immediately available.

"The structure is (doing business as) a church,'' the LAFD statement said. "Therefore, per protocol, the House of Worship Task Force was notified.''

The Los Angeles House of Worship Arson Task Force is comprised of personnel from several law enforcement agencies, including the LAFD, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI.

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