Structure Fire in Koreatown Quickly Contained

Smoke from the roof of a 12-story building in Koreatown resulted in an extended duration operation as firefighters extinguished the fire and worked to clear the large building of smoke.

At 8:46AM on November 20, 2024 the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 500 block of S Vermont Ave in Koreatown. Firefighters arrived to find a 12-story office building, under renovation, with smoke showing from the roof.

The first arriving fire company gathered equipment and began ascending the interior stairwell, encountering smoke on the lower floors. Back up fire attack located a basement and found rubbish burning at the base of the elevator shaft, which caused smoke to fill the shaft, up through to the roof. As crews extinguished the fire, the resulting smoke charged the large building.

The firefighters on the roof coordinated with firefighters on the ground to conduct a ventilation of the building for smoke removal. The building did not have yet have a functioning HVAC system to assist in the process.

An ongoing asbestos abatement project within the building required firefighters to undergo thorough decontamination procedures on scene after the operation and showering at the station before returning to service, to reduce the risk of exposure to hazardous materials.

Firefighters performed a primary and secondary search of the building's floors to ensure that no one was trapped inside. Fortunately, no victims were found.

Over 80 firefighters, operating under the command of Assistant Chief Paul Pham, extinguished the fire in in 33 minutes with no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is believed to sparks from equipment being used in the elevator which dropped down into rubbish in the basement.