A crew of 96 firefighters extinguished a blaze at a 7,000-square-foot metal fabrication business in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night from outside the building while protecting nearby structures.
The fire broke out at 10:17 p.m. at 826 S. Santa Fe Ave., according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Left 46 minutes later at 11:03 p.m.
The smoke was visible from behind when firefighters arrived and quickly flared into strong flames, Prange said.
“Fortunately, this particular metalworking company did not contain some of the flammable metals like magnesium that might be of concern, but only aluminum was the primary metal found inside,” he said. After the flames were largely extinguished, firefighters headed back inside to “finish the job”.
There was potential for hazardous chemicals and metals that could react with the water inside this type of business, prompting firefighters to spray water on the building from the outside, Prange explained. .
No injuries were reported, he said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.