Fire Engulfs L.A. Apartment Project, Closes Freeways

Fire engulfed a huge apartment complex under construction in downtown Los Angeles, closing a freeway and snarling traffic for morning commuters.

The blaze started at about 1:20 a.m. local time and drew more than 250 firefighters, said Peter Sanders, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman. The northbound 110 freeway reopened midmorning after earlier being closed while emergency vehicles used it as a staging ground. No injuries were reported. An arson investigation is under way, Mayor Eric Garcetti and Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said today at an unrelated press conference.

The structure is Building A of the Da Vinci complex, which encompasses a city block and is being developed by G. H. Palmer Associates, owner Geoff Palmer said in an e-mail. Palmer, whose other downtown projects include the Medici, Lorenzo and Orsini developments, said an adjacent Building B is on schedule to open in January. He declined to comment further.

The building that burned, at 906 N. Fremont Ave., has more than 1.3 million square feet (120,800 square meters) of space, according to the fire departments Twitter feed.

To rebuild the property to completion may cost more than $150 million, based on similar developments in the area, according to Carlos Serra, a managing director at brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL)

Two neighboring buildings were also affected by the blaze. Windows blew out on some of the floors of a 16-story office building at 221 N. Figueroa St., which includes offices of the fire department and other city agencies, Sanders said.

Offices closed by the fire include the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, which issues construction permits. A building at 313 N. Figueroa sustained exterior damage on three floors, said Katherine Main, a fire department spokeswoman.

A hillside adjacent to the burned building was littered with ash and charred documents after the fire. The structure was reduced to a smoldering pile of wood, with metal stairwells remaining intact. The building, set to include amenities such as an indoor basketball court, library and theater, is one of at least three apartment developments Palmer has under construction downtown, according to the companys website.

Rents at other Palmer buildings downtown start at about $2,200 a month for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment.

Palmers projects are part of a downtown development boom that includes more than 21,000 residential units and 3,780 hotel rooms planned or under construction. Many are financed by investors from China, Singapore and Korea, along with U.S. companies.

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Fire Engulfs L.A. Apartment Project, Closes Freeways