According to officials, Redondo Beach’s 911 system was kicked out of the line in a short time Sunday after the AT&T Communications Center fire.
The city police department posted on Facebook at around 2 p.m. Sunday: “There are currently 911 lines due to telecommunications disruptions in South Bay.” By the next hour, the lines began.
Officials said the garbage fire spread to the AT&T facility in Gardena and was burned down for five hours early Sunday morning, and appeared to be the source.
Jennifer Middleton, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the fire spread to a 300-by-200-square-foot communications building with lead-acid batteries.
More than 100 firefighters, including a Hazmat team, responded to the fire in the 16200 block of South Vermont Avenue.
“They’re having some trouble extinguishing it,” she said.
Local residents were asked to be in place for shelter.
The injury was not reported and the cause is still under investigation.
“It’s the smallest impact,” said Radardo Beach Police Lieutenant Justin Korte. “It doesn’t seem to affect the normal phone line. It makes 911 calls intermittent.”
