Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the time of the fire.
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – It took more than 100 firefighters more than an hour and a half to extinguish a fire in a historic downtown Los Angeles building in an incident that authorities declared a “major emergency.”
The fire at 1246 S. Hope St. was reported just before 11 a.m. Thursday. Sky5 footage showed heavy flames and thick smoke billowing into the sky.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news bulletin that 17 fire companies were called to the blaze, adding that the battle lasted for an hour and 37 minutes.
SFGate reports that the fire occurred in a 110-year-old building that was once home to the Morrison Hotel, where the famous photo shoot for The Doors’ fifth album, fronted by singer Jim Morrison, took place. It was the place.
The vacant building once known as the “Morrison Hotel” went up in flames on December 26, 2024. (Citizen) The vacant building once known as the “Morrison Hotel” went up in flames on December 26, 2024. (KTLA) On December 26, 2024, a vacant building in downtown Los Angeles was set on fire. (KTLA)
Most recently, the building was “ready to become an affordable housing complex after being purchased by the AIDS Medical Foundation in December 2023,” SF Gate added.
These days, however, it has been used as a “frequent LAFD training site” for about 15 years, giving personnel an advantage in moving quickly through the building, fire officials said.
No injuries were reported, although firefighters “installed ground ladders on fire escapes to help homeless people exit vacant buildings.”
In the end, dozens of people were able to escape or be helped from the burning building, fire officials said.
Fire officials are expected to remain on scene for an “extended period”.
“Drivers are advised to avoid the Pico x Hope area in downtown Los Angeles,” the warning reads.
The building was red tagged and its structural integrity was compromised, making it “unsafe for firefighters to enter to fully extinguish any remaining fire bags,” LAFD said. said.
“As such, crews will continue to monitor the fire overnight to ensure public safety and prevent flare-ups,” LAFD added.
The LAFD Arson Division is investigating the cause of the fire, and once the situation is safe, the body detection unit’s K-9 unit will search to make sure no one is still inside.
