Massive L.A. fire: Huge blaze engulfs tower, melts signs, bursts windows

© Michael Meadows / European Pressphoto Agency

A massive fire in downtown Los Angeles early today engulfed an apartment tower that was under construction, damaged two other buildings and left freeways and roads closed.

Firefighters used the 110 Freeway to set up equipment to fight the huge blaze.

Caltrans reopened the 101 Freeway and the southbound 110 at around 4:30 a.m., but the northbound 110 Freeway remained closed as of 7:30 a.m. Caltrans hoped to reopen the 110 north by 8 a.m.

© Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press

More than 250 firefighters battled the fire at an apartment tower under construction in the DaVinci complex in the 900 block of Fremont Avenue, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz said. The building -- the size of an entire city block -- had 1.3 million square feet of floor space, and officials said two-thirds of it was consumed by flames.

The fire was so intense, nearby freeway signs melted and windows in adjacent buildings burst.

The bulk of the fire was put out in 90 minutes, but firefighters continued to deal with hot spots into the early morning hours, according to LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas.

There were no injuries reported. The cause of the blaze was not yet known, but an accelerant-sniffing dog was on the scene to help arson investigators determine whether it was intentionally set, said fire department spokeswoman Katherine Main.

© Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press

The fire Monday morning was less than 100 yards away from a downtown fire station.

"When they came out of the quarters they could see it was fully engulfed," Main said. "It was a building under construction in the framing phase. Almost 1 million square feet and a city block."

Firefighters said the flames climbed more than 40 feet above the seven-story building.

The LAFD said two other buildings along Figueroa Street were also damaged by the fire: A building at 313 N. Figueroa St. sustained "external damage from radiant heat" while fire damaged several floors of a 16-story office tower at 212 N. Figueroa St.

Fire Department spokesman Jaime Moore told The Times the office tower sustained fire and sprinkler water damage.

"Large windows gave under the amount of heat," Moore said, adding that sprinklers activated on six of its floors. "There was active fire on three floors."

Moore said firefighters managed to get inside both buildings and prevent the flames from spreading. The bottom two stories of the apartment complex were made of concrete; the upper five floors were made of wood frame. Much of the structure was lost.

Early Monday morning, about a dozen construction workers crowded the sidewalk on Figueroa, where the sidewalk leading up to Temple Street was blocked off.

Edgar Marin, a plumbing worker for GJM Engineering who was working on the DaVinci development, was among those waiting.

He heard in the morning that the building he normally worked in was burning and that it would be difficult to find parking. But he was told to head in to work.

The workers watched as fire trucks continued to pass by, waiting for the order to head home.

"Probably, if they want, we're going to work tomorrow," Marin said.

Terrazas described chaos at the scene of the fire, with its heat becoming so intense that it broke windows in nearby buildings. Parts of the apartment building scaffolding also collapsed and fell over a freeway wall not far from the 101 interchange with the 110 Freeway.

© Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

The freeway sign that directed drivers to the interchange was blackened and partially melted, its lettering burned away.

A series of dense, upscale apartment complexes have been built over the last decade around the 101-110 interchange in downtown L.A, including the under-construction DaVinci.

Developer Geoffrey Palmer's company is known for the Orsini, the Medici and other faux-Italian apartment buildings that have risen along the four-level interchange. The complexes have been part of the revitalization of downtown, though critics have complained about the design and size of the buildings.

The building was in the news earlier this year when the developer sought a pedestrian bridge that would link the DaVinci to other complexes in the area and offer residents a route to downtown attractions.

The developer told the city that transients living under the 110 Freeway would pose a safety threat to future renters. The bridge proposal faced criticism from some in downtown, but the the City Council approved it in May.

When the fire broke out at about 1:20 a.m., flames could be seen for miles, with some people on social media capturing shots from as far away as the Hollywood Hills. Other photos and video captured flames racing into the air as motorists drove by.

Firefighters also battled two other blazes in the city early Monday. There was a fire on 7th Street just west of Hoover in Westlake and another on south Broadway between 4th and 5th streets. It was unclear if any or all of the fires were related, said fire department spokeswoman Main.