The fire, a video of which you can see below courtesy of On Demand News, caused the closure of two major highways after erupting at about 1:20am on Monday 8 December.
More than 250 firefighters have been battling the blaze on 909 West Temple Street near the interchange of the 110 Freeway, which was reopened by rush hour, and the 101 Freeway. A long stretch of the northbound 110 remained closed well into Monday afternoon.
“The bulk of the fire was knocked down in just over 90 minutes. Firefighters managed flair-up and worked with LAFD bulldozers for nearly 24 hours to fully extinguish the deep seeded smoldering lumber,” LAFD spokesperson Katherine Maine said. Firefighters became concerned about the smoking wreckage’s potential to collapse onto the highway below.
The intensity and rapid spread of the fire – even spreading to a 16-story office tower nearby and damaging another building – has prompted investigators to consider arson as the cause.
‘This is a historic fire, what we as firefighters would call “a career fire.” It’s huge. I really can’t remember a building fire this big and I have been with the department for 13 years,’ Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz told NBC News.
Damage caused by the fire is likely to run into the tens of millions, although there were no fatalities.
Download the Fire Safety in 2023 eBook, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry. Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
