A pair of massive fires burst across the Los Angeles skyline early Monday, damaging four buildings and closing down freeways during the morning commute. No injuries were reported but the flames near a downtown freeway interchange could be seen for miles and billowing clouds of smoke closed down adjacent highways in two directions.
City fire officials were unable to give an immediate cause for the blaze, which severely damaged a seven-story apartment building that was under construction. Damage to the structure appeared to be nearly total. Flames spread for a whole city block, nearly a million square feet, officials said. The apartment development in downtown had caused some controversy in the community due to a pedestrian bridge the developers wanted to erect so residents could avoid street traffic, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported. The blaze spread quickly through the building and officials warned there was a risk of building scaffolding falling into the roadway even after the fire was contained. The fire was so big that responding fire-fighters could feel the heat from the flames from their fire station, a city information officer told AFP.