Fire and Vandalism Hit Hard at Salvation Army

A Salvation Army thrift shop in Long Beach was gutted Saturday night by a three-alarm blaze that took 72 firefighters 90 minutes to extinguish. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and released.

Meanwhile, in Redondo Beach, vandals broke into a Salvation Army building late Friday or early Saturday, stealing a stereo system and causing $5,000 to $7,000 in losses and damage.

The cause of the Long Beach fire, which was reported at 6:37 p.m. at 1363 Alamitos Ave., was under investigation. No estimate of the damage was immediately available. The shop sold clothes, furniture and other items donated to the Salvation Army, and refinished furniture.

All items within the one-story, 8,000-square-foot brick building were destroyed, said Long Beach Deputy Fire Chief Bob Guyett. The building was more than 40 years old, he said, and had recently been upgraded to meet earthquake safety standards.

The vandalism at the Redondo Beach building at 125 Beryl St. was a blow to the Salvation Army’s Meals on Wheels program, officials said. The program provides 125 to 150 elderly and disabled with five subsidized lunches a week at their homes in Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Vandals shattered a window, damaged six freezers and threw meat and vegetables about the kitchen.

“It’s very upsetting because it wasn’t as if they came in to take a few things,” said Salvation Army Lt. Dan Russell. “They came in to destroy property. If it was a hungry person who broke in to find food, they could have found food without throwing it up against the wall.”

Redondo Beach police were investigating the incident but had not made any arrests Saturday. Salvation Army officials were asking for cash contributions to replace the stolen and damaged goods.