Friday, October 30, 2026
The Long Beach Fire Department responded to a working house fire Friday morning on the unit block of East Walnut Street. Flames were contained to the vestibule and front door of the home and there were no injuries, according to Fire Chief RJ Tuccillo.
A passerby called in the fire at 7 a.m., Tuccillo said, and then alerted the residents of the home to evacuate. “He was walking on his way to work and he spotted it and notified the people inside,” Tuccillo added.
First responders quickly extinguished the blaze, Tuccillo said, by about 8 a.m. and confined the damage to the front vestibule. According to Tuccillo, the fire was most likely caused by an electrical malfunction, possibly set off by the heavy rains the night before.
“It looked like they had leaks in there before,” he said, noting visible rotting of the wood around the front door. He advised residents to be aware of water damage to their homes that could potentially lead to similar electrical issues.
“If you get any kind of dampness or mold or mildew, that’s telling you that there’s water getting into the house,” Tuccillo said. “And there’s electrical systems in there, so eventually the water’s going to get to them and you’re going to have a fire.”
Heavy rains early Friday morning also resulted in some flash flooding along Park Avenue, but Tuccillo said there were no accidents reported. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning from 5:16 to 7:15 a.m. The water has since receded.
