Two suspects detained after Greater Alarm fire breaks out at vacant theater building in Hollywood
By Web Staff
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LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Firefighters engaged a massive fire that broke out at a vacant building in Hollywood early Wednesday morning.
The blaze first broke out at a little before 9 a.m. in the 1400 block of N. Las Palmas Avenue, inside of what Los Angeles Fire Department called a vacant theater.
Flames and huge plumes of smoke could be seen pillowing from several holes in the roof of the two-story structure.
As the fire continued to grow, firefighters moved into a defensive attack, focused on fighting the flames from outside the building, in an effort to protect surrounding structures.
At around 10 a.m., the fire’s status was upgraded to Greater Alarm, as more than 80 firefighters were on hand to battle the blaze before it was extinguished a little later.
They successfully prevented the flames from reaching a nearby motel, multi-family residence and several other residences in the area.
A portion of the structure suffered collapse as the fire continued to rage, with a threat for further collapse, keeping crews from entering.
The building was set to be red-tagged due to the lack of structural integrity after the interior was gutted by flames.
According to Los Angeles Police Department, two people were detained at the scene for questioning.
During a press conference, LAFD spokesperson Nicholas Prange reported that the 9,082 sq. ft. theater was built in 1905.
With Sky2 overhead, several firefighters could be seen attacking the flames from above while standing on ladders and roofs nearby.
The cause of the fire was still unknown and no injuries were reported.
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