Major Emergency Fire in Chinatown

An apartment building under construction erupted into fire, spreading to the adjacent buildings, triggering a Major Emergency in Chinatown.

At 3:43AM on September 13, 2024 the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 712 New Depot St in Chinatown. The first arriving fire company found a three-story apartment building under construction, fully involved in fire and extending into one of the four exposed buildings.

With heavy fire showing in the exposed building on the East side (877 N Bunker Hill), firefighters immediately engaged in an offensive fire attack. Simultaneously, crews extended the offensive attack to the three other exposed buildings and established a defensive fire attack against the building under construction.

Additional resources arrived, raising the incident to the Major Emergency status. Those crews reinforced the efforts underway, conducting fire attack on all three floors of 877 N Bunker Hill while also performing primary searches through every unit to ensure all occupants safely evacuated. The functioning smoke alarms alerted residents, providing early notice and allowing most to escape unharmed.

Firefighters working on the exposed buildings to the West and South of the main building limited damage to those structures.
Over 130 firefighters worked seamlessly across this complex incident, involving five different structures, under the leadership of Assistant Chief Melford Beard. A full extinguishment of fire in all buildings was achieved in one hour and 36 minutes. Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety deemed 877 N Bunker Hill to be unsafe for habitation and 'red-tagged' the entire 19-unit occupancy. In total (across all four exposed buildings) 51 people were displaced and needed assistance with housing. The Echo Park Community Center served as a temporary evacuation shelter while the Los Angeles Red Cross aided in addressing the immediate needs of those displaced.

A total of six patients were evaluated with two requiring hospital transport: 80-year-old male in critical condition who evacuated the building and then deteriorated while firefighter/paramedics were assessing him and a 55-year-old female patient in fair condition with a non-life threatening burn injury. Two elderly residents were evacuated out of the building by firefighters and evaluated on scene. They declined LAFD treatment/transport. One LAFD firefighter sustained a non-life threatening injury and was taken to an occupational health facility for care. One additional firefighter experienced mild heat exhaustion and rotated to the rehab station.

The cause of the fire is under active investigation by LAFD Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section (ACTS).