A massive fire broke out in a vacant building in Downtown Los Angeles on December 26, 2024, requiring over 100 firefighters to battle the flames for nearly two hours before gaining control. The fire, which occurred at 10:58 AM, involved the four-story E-shaped building at 1200 S Hope Street.
The building, built in 1914 and vacant for over 15 years, was a frequent training site for the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD). Its design allowed firefighters to navigate the structure quickly. Heavy fire was detected on the fourth floor, where flames breached the roof, prompting the Incident Commander to switch to a defensive operation.
As firefighters arrived, several dozen people self-evacuated from the building. Crews located additional three people on the third floor and evacuated them via ground ladders. Multiple fire trucks used ladder pipes to douse the blaze from above, while hand lines were deployed from the ground. The fire was finally extinguished after 1 hour and 37 minutes with no injuries reported.
The nearly 50,000 square foot building’s structural integrity had been compromised due to partial roof collapse, making it unsafe for firefighters to fully extinguish the remaining fires. As a result, crews will remain on fire watch through the night to ensure public safety. The future of the historic building now lies with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, led by the LAFD Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section (ACTS).
Source: https://lafd.org/news/historic-downtown-los-angeles-building-destroyed-fire