Fire rips through Burbank smoke shop; Victory Boulevard closed

Firefighters made progress early Friday on a three-alarm blaze that ripped through a Burbank smoke shop.

The fire was reported around 3:30 a.m. at Wholesale Giant at Victory Boulevard and Manning Street, just south of Bob Hope Airport, KTLA-TV reported. The business is a wholesale market that sells items including tobacco, restaurant supplies and candy.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire inside the building, which then spread to the attic, compromising the roof. Fire crews battled the flames with hoses from outside to keep the fire from spreading.

The Burbank Fire Department was on scene, along with Verdugo Fire and crews from Glendale, Pasadena and South Pasadena, the TV station reported.

"The owner on scene had reported that he had many cases of the little CO2 cartridges," said Peter Hendrickson of the Burbank Fire Department. "Once those things became involved in the fire they became little missiles."

No injuries had been reported. The fire was sending up thick black smoke that was visible for several miles. Victory Boulevard was shut down for at least three to four blocks in either direction around the scene.

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-- From a Times staff writer

Photo: Burbank firefighters spray water on Wholesale Giant at 4410 W. Victory Blvd. on Friday morning after a three-alarm blaze destroyed the structure. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times