Lithium-Ion Batteries Complicate Two-Hour Fire at Bike Palace in San Pedro

The Los Angeles Fire Department battled a fire for two hours at the Bike Palace late Tuesday night in San Pedro. The Bike Palace sustained heavy damage, and the fire spread to Century Motorcycles, though that business avoided significant damage.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to multiple reports of a structure fire in the 1600 block of South Pacific Avenue at 9:02 p.m. Dec. 23. Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire venting through the roof of a single-story commercial building and immediately launched an interior offensive attack.

As the fire intensified and the roof’s structural integrity became compromised, the incident commander ordered a transition to a defensive operation. The shift prioritized firefighter safety, with crews using ladder pipes and heavy stream hand lines to knock down the fire from the exterior.

As a thick plume of smoke drifted toward a nearby apartment building, Los Angeles Police Department officers conducted door-to-door notifications, advising residents to shelter in place.

Later in the operation, crews briefly returned to an offensive posture after the bulk of the fire was suppressed. This allowed firefighters to access the interior, extinguish isolated pockets of fire in hard-to-reach areas and push remaining fire toward the center of the structure for final extinguishment from a defensive position.

Assistant Chief Paul Pham declared knockdown at 11:02 p.m., exactly two hours after the initial dispatch. No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.

During overhaul, firefighters encountered additional fire burning in isolated pockets along the roof of the adjacent auto repair and sales business. Crews carried out a dual mission, with some extinguishing remaining fire while others obtained keys to vehicles inside the building to move them and protect them from smoke and water damage.

The fire heavily damaged the Bike Palace, where at least 30 lithium-ion batteries were stored. The batteries required specialized handling and monitoring to prevent hazardous re-ignition. Inspectors from the LAFD Certified Unified Program Agency were on scene to oversee the identification and safe management of hazardous materials.

Fire officials also deployed an unmanned aerial system drone equipped with thermal imaging, providing real-time situational awareness and helping commanders identify hidden hazards and hotspots not visible from the ground.

Per protocol for a major emergency fire, the LAFD Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section is investigating the cause of the fire.