EL CENTRO, Calif. (KGTV) – Authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed a Planned Parenthood building in El Centro early Tuesday morning.
El Centro Fire Department officials said a fire that was reported at a Salvation Army storage yard just before 1:45 a.m. quickly spread to the Planned Parenthood facility next door.
The storage yard “contained televisions, clothes, appliances, mattresses, and other miscellaneous items,” according to fire officials.
The blaze was elevated to third-alarm status, prompting multiple agencies from around Imperial County to join El Centro Fire crews' efforts.
It took the responding crews about three hours to stop the fire’s spread.
Officials said Planned Parenthood can no longer operate in the building. Employees say this is a major loss for the community.
“Imperial Valley is already a medically underserved area so the services we provide here are really vital,” said Susan Duran, a Planned Parenthood employee for the Pacific Southwest.
Duran says Planned Parenthood will rebuild in the near future.
“We don’t have a sense of a timeline right now for rebuilding but we’re really committed to supporting this community and being there for them.”
No injuries were reported. The El Centro Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire, and the department requested assistance from the ATF.
