Two dead, one hospitalized after abandoned building catches fire in Long Beach
An investigation continues after an abandoned commercial building caught fire in Long Beach, leaving a man and a woman dead and a woman critically injured.
According to Long Beach Fire Department, the blaze erupted at around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday, when firefighters were dispatched to the 1700 block of Long Beach Boulevard.
The fire was extinguished at 9:10 p.m.
During a search of the building, firefighters located one man dead and two women in "grave condition." They were both rushed to nearby hospitals where one later died from their injuries.
They were identified as 28-year-old Israel Benjamin Gonzalez and 49-year-old Christina Rivera by county officials on Friday.
No firefighters were injured, and the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
It was unclear if the victims were homeless and possibly using the abandoned structure for shelter. An investigation involving the Long Beach fire and police departments is currently underway.
