LAFD Battles Major Emergency Fire in Downtown Overnight

Over 170 LAFD firefighters worked for more than five hours to extinguish what appeared to have begun as an outside fire in the wee hours of July 19, 2024. Ultimately, several commercial buildings along Kohler Street were impacted.

Firefighters used a combination of offensive and defensive tactics on the various burning buildings -- where they were unable to make interior and/or roof access, they utilized large streams of water from ladder pipes, large-diameter hand lines, and portable monitors to combat the blaze. The grueling fire fight lasted from 2:07 a.m. until 7:22 a.m., when all active flame related to this conflagration was extinguished.

Several specialist companies are assisting on this incident -- among them are LAFD Heavy Equipment and LAFD's firefighting robot, RS3. Crews will remain on scene for an extended period of time today, uncovering hot spots and cooling the smoldering material beneath the debris. Smoke can be expected above downtown throughout the day.

Only one injury was reported as a result of this fire -- one firefighter sustained a knee injury and was transported to a local hospital in fair condition. There were no known civilian injuries or fatalities. The cause of the fire remains under active investigation.