Firefighters battled a blaze that erupted and spread into a produce market in downtown Los Angeles Monday, the L.A. Fire Department said.
Propane tanks were seen exploding outside of the one-story building at 815 Kohler St., fire officials said after the blaze was reported around 3:20 p.m.
The produce market was open for business and people were self-evacuating when firefighters arrived at the scene, according to LAFD.
The fire was dubbed a major emergency incident about 20 minutes after it ignited and 112 firefighters responded to the scene, going into defensive mode.
“Due to the extreme fire conditions, crews are getting water on the fire from the exterior prior to making an interior attack. There are multiple bays within this structure which have heavy fire,” the fire department said in an alert.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed thick smoke billowing from the structure as flames ripped through the roof and firefighters worked to contain the fire.
Parts of the roof collapsed and a wall buckled as crews continued to battle the flames, extinguishing the fire nearly two hours after responding. Fire officials said high winds made extinguishing the flames more difficult.
At least two trucks parked outside the building were burned, video showed. Several tents lined the outside of the building.
The inside of the building was packed and firefighters’ overhaul operation was expected to take a long time and require heavy equipment to clear debris, the department said.
It’s unclear what ignited the blaze. LAFD arson investigators were called to the scene.
No injuries were reported and no further details were immediately available.
The fire was reported just a mile away from the site of another fire and explosion that injured 11 firefighters last month.
