Overnight fire destroys several small businesses in Harvard Park, including 1 longtime shop

HARVARD PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Several small businesses were wiped out Thursday after a major fire broke out in the Harvard Park area of Los Angeles.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. on W. Slauson Avenue and Western Avenue.

Responding firefighters saw heavy flames burning in the back of three businesses. One of the shops is a cabinetry store that has been in business for 22 years.

The owner says that he lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of construction material for projects that he was already contracted for, and to make matters worse, he doesn't have insurance.

"Material stuff is not a big deal. I started from zero. I was homeless for two years, 25 years ago. I was an alcoholic, I was on the streets. I left all that thanks to God, he gave me all this," said Pedro Gallegos, owner of Pete's Cabinets. "My customers are the ones that, I'm really sorry for my customers."

Gallegos says he also lived in the building. As he tries to remain optimistic, he hopes his customers stick by him and give him some time to rebuild.

It took 121 LAFD firefighters 46 minutes to extinguish the flames, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.