N環球 
Los Angeles mayor orders vacant downtown buildings cleared after fresh Hope Street fire
Another fire at a vacant building on Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles — adjacent to 1235 Hope Street, where demolition began last week — has drawn a rebuke from Mayor Karen Bass, with the city ordering owners to clear sites and install barricades.
Why it matters
The string of fires at vacant buildings in downtown Los Angeles has exposed a blind spot in city enforcement: even with metal barriers and a police surveillance tower in place, trespassers keep getting in, setting fires and threatening the daily safety of nearby residents. The mayor's personal response and the city's cleanup orders signal a shift from voluntary owner action to forced enforcement.
Full report
A vacant building on Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles caught fire again in recent days, directly adjacent to 1235 Hope Street, where the owner began demolition last week after a series of fires, local media reported. Residents said a neighbouring vacant property also caught fire the same night, before demolition work had finished.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the recurring incidents "unacceptable" in a statement. The mayor's office said the city's Department of Building and Safety has ordered the owner of 1235 Hope Street to clear the site and install barricades, and that the city is coordinating with residents, businesses, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Fire Department and Building and Safety to improve security in the area.
Measures taken include installing cameras, requiring property owners to hire private security, and altering building fronts to prevent entry, with multiple structures declared public nuisances. But residents say unauthorized entry continues despite metal barriers and the police surveillance tower. Nearby resident Jeremy Lara said walking past the buildings had become a nuisance for everyday life, including walking his dog.
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