Homeless flee structure fire at historic downtown Los Angeles hotel

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the time at which the fire started.

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – It took over 100 firefighters more than an hour and a half to contain a fire at a historic downtown Los Angeles building in an incident that officials declared a “Major Emergency.”

The blaze at 1246 S. Hope St. was reported shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday. Sky5 footage showed intense flames and heavy smoke billowing into the sky.

The fire drew a response from 17 fire companies, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news alert, and later added that the battle lasted for an hour and 37 minutes.

SFGate reports the blaze was in the 110-year-old building once home to the Morrison Hotel, which was the site of a famous photoshoot for the fifth album by the Doors, fronted by singer Jim Morrison.

More recently, the building “was poised to become an affordable housing complex after it was bought by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in December 2023,” SFGate added.

Recently, though, it had been used for about 15 years as a “frequent training site for LAFD, giving crews an advantage in quickly navigating the structure,” fire officials said.

No injuries were reported, even though firefighters “placed ground ladders to the fire escapes to assist unhoused persons exiting the vacant structure.”

Several dozen ultimately fled or were assisted from the burning building, fire officials said.

Fire officials were expected to remain on scene for an “extended duration.”

“Drivers are advised to avoid Pico x Hope area in Downtown LA,” the alert said.

Because the building is red-tagged and has weakened structural integrity, “it was not safe for firefighters to make entry to fully extinguish the remaining pockets of fire,” the LAFD said.

“Therefore, crews will remain on fire watch through the night to ensure public safety and no flare-ups,” the LAFD added.

LAFD Arson is investigating the cause of the blaze, and once the situation is safe, human remains-detecting K-9 units will search to ensure no one was still inside.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel