Firefighters in Koreatown faced a smokey situation when a 12-story building under renovation caught fire yesterday morning. According to LAFD News, a reported structure fire in the 500 block of S Vermont Ave had over 80 firefighters on the scene, arriving within minutes of the call at 8:46 AM.
Upon reaching the site, they discovered smoke emanating from the roof. Inside, smoke was found on the lower floors as the first company began to climb the stairwell, encountering the smoke from rubbish ablaze at the base of the elevator shaft. It was this elevator, undergoing repairs, that is believed to be the cause of the fire, with sparks allegedly igniting the refuse.
The operation was complex as firefighters had to coordinate rooftop efforts with those on the ground to ventilate the smoke-filled structure, hampered by the absence of a functional HVAC system. As per the LAFD, the building was in the midst of asbestos abatement, necessitating special decontamination procedures for the responding team once the fire was out and the building was clear of smoke.
Fortunately, the thorough search conducted through the primary and secondary floors of the building revealed no victims trapped inside. Assistant Chief Paul Pham led the operation, efficiently wrapping up the fire extinguishing in 33 minutes, reported LAFD News. No injuries were sustained in the fire that could have resulted in a potential hazard given the asbestos present.
The cause of the fire is currently believed to be due to equipment-related sparks in the elevator which dropped into the rubbish, igniting it and filling the shaft with smoke that traveled to the building's roof. Following the incident, firefighters underwent thorough decontamination and showering at their station as a precaution against hazardous material exposure.
