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CHINATOWN, LOS ANGELES () — A fire broke out in Los Angeles’ Chinatown neighborhood Thursday night, engulfing commercial buildings and sending a large plume of smoke into the air.
Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in the 1000 block of North Main Street just before 7 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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“First arriving firefighters found a very large outside fire that was exposing and already extending into a couple commercial structures,” LAFD Capt. and Public Information Officer Branden Silverman told Eyewitness News at the scene.
Witnesses described seeing intense flames before fire crews arrived.
“There was just the flames and there was this noise like…. Really really hard,” said Chinatown resident Naara Fischert.
Fischert said the flames rose high into the sky.
“It was like all the way up and it was red. Rally red red red,” she said.
According to officials, a one-story commercial building was already engulfed in flames with heavy fire ripping through the roof when crews arrived. The eastern half of a two-story commercial building was also affected. Silverman said that a division wall runs down the center of that building and the western half of it was not impacted.
Firefighters initially made an aggressive attack inside and on the roof, but the incident commander determined early in the firefight that crews should transition to defensive operations because of the extent of the blaze, Silverman said.
AIR7 footage showed firefighters battling the flames from several ladder trucks and from the ground as smoke billowed over the area. Firefighters used large-volume appliances to pour heavy amounts of water on the blaze and protect nearby businesses.
Officials said the fire appeared to have started outside before spreading to the buildings.
“It appears to be two separate buildings at this point but it’s until we get a little bit closer inside we won’t be able to tell the extent of how many occupancies and what they’re doing business as,” Silverman said.
At one point, an emergency traffic alert was declared because high-voltage electrical wires were interfering with firefighting operations. The wires also created challenges for crews working to extinguish hotspots, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut off power in nearby areas.
“The streetlights were shut down on this street and that was due to the energized electrical wires that were being impacted around the building,” Silverman said.
Small businesses and apartments surround the area where the fire started. Crews successfully protected a nearby apartment complex from the fire but instructed residents to shelter in place with doors and windows closed to keep smoke from entering their units, according to Silverman. Firefighters remained at the complex to monitor conditions and help ensure residents would not need to evacuate.
One resident described the impact of the smoke.
“Just filled up my whole room with smoke and yeah it’s not looking too good,” said Chinatown resident John Lee.
The incident commander declared a knockdown at 8:40 p.m. No injuries were reported.
The LAFD requested arson investigators and heavy equipment to assist with overhaul operations.
Cleanup efforts are expected to continue overnight and into Friday morning as investigators work to determine the cause of the fire.
This is a breaking news story. More details will be added as more information becomes available.
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