Fundraising underway for Huntington Park firefighters after station fire

There's an effort underway to help firefighters at Huntington Park Fire Station 164 after their firehouse was left with massive damage from a May 1 fire.

The nonprofit, Los Angeles County Firemen's Benefit and Welfare Association is asking for community help for the 11 firefighters on duty that night who lost countless personal items as well as special equipment.

"You've all probably seen the video of them out there in their flip-flops, trying to put out (the fire in) their fire station, that's just the devotion these guys have," Steve Bernau, Los Angeles County Firemen's Benefit and Welfare Association president said. "Firefighters of this community carry a lot of specific gear, a lot of that specific gear isn't provided by the fire department, a lot of that stuff was lost that morning."

On the fundraising site, Bernau said the night of the fire, the crew had just returned from an arson fire nearby. They were unwinding in the station when a passerby noticed fire in the building and rang the front doorbell to alert the firefighters.

Bernau wrote that the crew fought the fire in flip flops and with garden hoses until resources arrived. No one was hurt, but some engines and paramedic units were destroyed by the flames, and the building still cannot be occupied.

Although the building is tagged, Station 164 is fully operational, as firefighters are staying in trailers on site. Investigators are still working to determine what sparked the blaze.