Early morning commuters in Downtown Los Angeles were met with congestion and the blare of emergency sirens as the Los Angeles Fire Department battled a Greater Alarm structure fire at 1224 S Hope St. According to an LAFD alert, the incident reached 12 fire companies working on-site to mitigate the fire, which first showed signs of breaching into an adjacent building.
The alarm was raised at 06:36 AM, urging commuters to steer clear of the Hope St x W Pico area due to blockages. As the LAFD mounted an offensive attack on the fire, LAFD PIO Captain VanGerpen was reported to be on route for media briefing. Although the fire raised concerns as it appeared to penetrate a dividing wall into the adjacent, exposed building, the firefighters' efforts were able to contain the blaze in good time.
Further updates by LAFD later detailed that the fire was maintained within the unit of origin, which consisted of a row of (boarded up) commercial buildings. The swift work of the LAFD prevented the fire from affecting neighboring units, and, remarkably, no injuries were reported despite the intensity of the incident. Hope St remained closed in both directions at Pico, as clear-up operations and investigations began.
A final statement from LAFD, issued through another alert, announced the "KNOCKDOWN" of the fire at 07:32 AM. Nearly 100 firefighters had worked diligently for approximately an hour and nineteen minutes before extinguishing the blaze, which was contained to the building of origin.
