Fire Rages Through <nobr>Turn-of-the-Century</nobr> Bungalow Paralleling 4th St.'s "Retro Row"

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(Mar. 8, 2014, initial report 4:55 p.m.) -- The cause of a fire that gutted a vintage bungalow in an alley off Long Beach's Retro Row was under investigation today, a fire official said.

Photo via LBFFA Twitter feed

Fire crews responded about 9:30 p.m. Friday (Mar. 7) to the single-story wooden structure at 2205 1/2 Florida St. (just east of Cherry Ave., south and parallel to 4th St.) and brought the flames under control soon after arriving, neighbors said, although firefighters remained on-scene for several hours.

The rental house, which sits behind a larger bungalow fronting Florida Street, was built about 1906, a woman standing in the yard between the two buildings said. The front home was not affected.

Photo by Cathy Franklin

Damage to the structure appeared most severe at the rear of the home, flanked by the alley running east and west. One witness said firefighters had to tear through a portion of a 6-foot fence along the side of the house, which sits on a north-south alley.

Photo by Cathy Franklin

As crews fought the blaze, sparks flew from overhead electrical wires, stoking fears that the flames could spread to an adjacent wooden structure containing 11 single-room units.

Neighbors said the back-unit bungalow that burned had been rented recently by a man who, they said, appeared not to have been home at the time. Neighbors said a dog that may have been in the home escaped and it was unclear if it had been found.

A small unattached garage next to the home appeared untouched, but the main structure was largely gutted and blackened, with gaps in the roof and ceiling.

Photo by Cathy Franklin