Major fire rips through Fashion District commercial building in downtown Los Angeles; no injuries

Why it matters

A major fire broke out Sunday evening, October 18, in the Fashion District of downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department said flames were showing through the roof of a row of commercial packing businesses at 950 E. Pico Blvd., west of South Central Avenue, prompting the incident commander to switch crews to defensive operations, battling the flames from outside the structure.

The fire unit measured about 50 feet wide by 150 feet deep and shared a wall with two adjacent businesses, one on each side. More than 120 firefighters responded and skillfully defended the neighboring units, preventing the intense flames from spreading to either side — though the fire unit itself was a total loss.

Fortunately, the fire struck before patrons or employees typically populate these Fashion District buildings. No one needed to be evacuated and there were no reported injuries. Fire investigators responded to the scene and are working to determine the cause.

Crews called an official knockdown at 7:23 p.m., with smoke rising from the rubble for much of the day; the last crews left the scene shortly after 10:30 p.m.