Downtown LA building burns down after explosion

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A downtown Los Angeles commercial building erupted in flames Tuesday, sending thick smoke into the air and initially threatening an adjacent apartment building, while explosions within the structure kept firefighters in a defensive posture.

The fire was reported around 1:50 p.m. in the roughly 5,800-square- foot building in the 1200 block of East Industrial Street, with more than 100 firefighters responding to the blaze, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Shortly after crews arrived on the scene, explosions were heard coming from inside the burning structure, and some downed power lines were also reported, prompting firefighters to pull back from the blaze and move into defensive operations, pouring water onto the flames from the exterior.

"Though the building appeared vacant and secured, yet to be fully determined contents included pressurized gas cylinders that ruptured during the blaze, leading to the explosions heard shortly after LAFD arrival," according to the LAFD.

Fire officials said crews were able to prevent the flames from spreading to any other buildings, but residents of the adjacent three-story apartment building were told to shelter in place as the firefight continued.

The fire was declared knocked down at about 2:50 p.m. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was not immediately known.