Massive Explosion in Downtown LA

Photo Courtesy of NBC Los Angeles

A massive fire erupted in an apartment tower that was under construction in Los Angeles this morning.

According to ABC7, the fire began around 1:20 a.m on the 900 block of West Temple Street. The fire stopped 90 minutes after it first begun.

Taming the explosion was a hefty task. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz told the Los Angeles Times that more than 250 fire fighters were fighting to stop the fire. Two buildings near the tower also suffered damage. According to fire officials, “one building suffered radiant heat damage on three floors, while the second suffered fire damage on three floors and water damage on the remaining 14 floors.”

There was traffic all morning in Los Angeles due to the fire. According to Foxnews: “Portions of U.S. Route 101 and Interstate 101 were shut down for a time over fears that debris might fall into lanes. The northbound 110 remained closed after sunrise, as commuter traffic backed up for miles.”

During the time of the event, no one was at the construction site. None of the firefighters were injured. The cause and extent of the fire is still unknown.