Fire erupts in vacant office building in Van Nuys, threatening homeless community

A fire erupted inside a vacant office building in Van Nuys on Sunday, threatening a nearby community of homeless people, authorities said.

The blaze started shortly after 4 p.m. and burned on all five stories of the boarded-up structure in the 7000 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. More than 120 fire personnel battled the blaze.

The fire was knocked down by 6 p.m., Humphrey said. Los Angeles police evacuated people who live in about 50 to 100 tents in an adjacent parking lot, authorities said.

Sepulveda Boulevard was closed between Sherman Way and Vose Street, and will continue to be throughout the night, Humphrey said. No nearby areas have been evacuated.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.