Person detained after fire destroys historic Hollywood theater

LOS ANGELES - A person was detained after firefighters knocked down a fire that erupted inside a historic theater in Hollywood off Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday morning, officials said. 

The fire was reported just before 9 a.m. in the 1400 block of N. Las Palmas Avenue.

Arriving firefighters with the Los Angeles Fire Department found the vacant two-story theater had flames going through the roof. Firefighters then went into defensive mode and focused on protecting the surrounding homes in the tightly-packed area. Two of the nearby apartments were evacuated as a precaution. 

The fire burned through the roof of the two-story building, and firefighters went into a defensive mode, preventing the flames from spreading to other structures, the LAFD reported.

The 9,082-square-foot theater was built in 1905, said Nicholas Prange of the LAFD.

Crews appeared to have gained the upper hand on the flames after about an hour, although the blaze continued to burn and at least some of the building collapsed. The fire was extinguished about two hours after it began, the LAFD reported.

The flames were knocked down by 10 a.m. However, fire crews remained at the scene for any potential hot spots that could ignite. 

"Fire investigators from LAFD's Arson/Counter Terrorism Section arrived at the scene for investigation and, in coordination with LAPD, have detained one person of interest for questioning," Prange said. "Thankfully, there were no injuries caused by this fire."

City News Service contributed to this report.