Fire at AT&T facility in Gardena knocks out 911 service, causes cellphone, internet disruptions
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Redondo Beach’s 911 system was kicked offline for a short period Sunday after a fire at an AT&T communications center, according to officials.
“Due to telecommunications outage in the South Bay, 911 lines are currently down,” the city’s Police Department posted on Facebook around 2 p.m. Sunday. By the next hour, lines were up.
Officials said a trash fire, which spread to the AT&T facility in Gardena and burned for five hours early Sunday morning, appeared to be the source.
The blaze spread to a 300-by-200-square-foot communications building with lead-acid batteries, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton.
There was a partial roof collapse as flames quickly spread through three structures where electronics, batteries and power systems for telecommunications equipment were stored, Fire Capt. David Fabela told KTLA.
More than 100 firefighters, including a Hazmat team, responded to the blaze along the 16200 block of South Vermont Avenue.
“They were having some trouble extinguishing it,” Middleton said.
Local residents were asked to shelter in place.
No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.
“It was minimal impact,” said Redondo Beach Police Lt. Justin Korte. “It didn’t appear that impacted the normal phone lines. It made 911 calls intermittent.”
AT&T said in a statement: “Earlier today our facility in Gardena, California suffered extensive damage because of a fire. Our employees are all safe and we thank the Los Angeles Fire Department for their quick response and help today. They will continue to remain onsite overnight to ensure no additional issues occur.
“If you are one of our nearly 2,000 home phone or internet customers in the area, we know you might be experiencing a service impact with your home phone. If you are in an emergency situation, please use your cell phone to call 9-1-1.
“Some mobile phone customers in the area may be experiencing limited impact. Even if you are not able to make a regular call, you will be able to reach 9-1-1 by calling using your mobile phone. We are also working with other providers to help with service issues.”
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