Firefighters are battling a fire in an industrial business area Friday in Compton.
The fire, possibly in a pallet yard, is burning near Santa Fe Avenue and Banning Street. Several buildings appear to have burned.
Flames appeared to spread to an adjacent bus yard, where several busses burned.
"You see it in the movies, but when it happens in real life you're like, 'What do I do,'" said a resident who family owns a business in the area. "It's devastating.
Read more from NBC News:
"I'm glad everyone is ok. Everyone I know is out here."
No injuries were reported. No homes were immediately threatened, but power outages affected about 50 customers.
Thick smoke was rising over the area from a fire that could be seen from miles around, including about 40 miles away in Malibu.
Details about how the fire, reported at about 4:45 a.m., started were not immediately available.
Nearby streets were closed.