None injured in former Elks Lodge building fire

No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported in a third-alarm structure fire that occurred Saturday afternoon at an abandoned commercial building in the 100 block of West State Street.

The two-story building was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The building had served as a former Elks Lodge.

The abandoned building, which is located at the corner of State and Second streets, had been vacant for several years, El Centro Fire Department Battalion Chief Cedric Ceseña said Tuesday.

While the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, the fire is not currently being investigated as an arson, Ceseña said.

Fire Department investigators are currently following up with people who may have been squatting in the building.

The fire was first reported to 911 at 4:27 p.m. The first-in ECFD unit arrived on the scene at 4:32 p.m., five minutes after the initial call for service.

The first-in unit found the building with heavy smoke showing.

Due to developing conditions, a second-alarm was requested at 4:36 p.m., an ECFD news release stated.

In quick succession, the fire broke through the roof and self-vented, allowing the incident to grow into a three-alarm fire with a mutual aid request for additional resources at 4:47 p.m.

ECFD said firefighters coordinated defensive firefighting operations to confine the fire to the structure of origin and focused on protecting adjacent structures from fire spread.

There were some evacuations in the area; however, no residents were home at the time, Ceseña said.

The fire was under control by 5:30 p.m. and was contained to the structure of origin, he said.

The structure was considered a total loss after the fire and has since been red-tagged by the city.

The building had no electricity, gas or water connected to it.

All ECFD units assigned to this incident were cleared from the scene by 10:27 p.m.

A total of two engine companies, one quick response vehicle and four chief officers from the city of El Centro responded with 12 firefighters.

The third-alarm request brought resources from the city of Imperial, Holtville, Calexico, Brawley, Westmorland, Imperial County, NAF El Centro and Centinela State Prison fire departments.

Mutual aid resources added 24 additional firefighters to the scene for support in firefighting operations, ECFD reported.

Other cooperating agencies included the American Red Cross, AMR Ambulance, Imperial Irrigation District, Southern California Gas Co., city of El Centro Code Enforcement Division, city of El Centro Public Works and the El Centro Police Department.

Any witnesses or individuals with information related to this fire are encouraged to call ECFD at (760) 337-4530.