Massive fire engulfs Elks Lodge in San Pedro, collapses roof

The Elks Lodge in San Pedro nearly burned to the ground early Tuesday morning after a fire started sometime in the middle of the night -- the second blaze on the property this week.

Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the blaze, which Los Angeles Fire Department officials said started sometime before 3 a.m.

Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters found the 33,700-square-foot, two-story building completely engulfed in flames, officials said, and it took more than 100 firefighters more than two hours to extinguish the blaze.

The lodge, built in 1967, sits on a bluff off Western Avenue facing the coast and has three tennis courts, a pool and dining hall.

Fire Department spokesman Bryan Humphrey said firefighters were also at the property at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday to put out a small grass-and-rubbish fire. It’s not clear if the two fires are connected but investigators aren’t ruling it out, Humphrey said.

An estimate of the total damage to the building was not immediately available. Portions of the building -- including the roof -- collapsed in the fire, Humphrey said.

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