LA Fashion District Fire Imperils Small Businesses

Dozens of Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters fought to contain a fire that broke out at a textile business Wednesday morning, emitting plumes of smoke that blanketed the city’s Fashion District.

At 5:50 a.m., 150 LAFD firefighters were dispatched to 1131 Los Angeles St., where “heavy smoke” billowed from a two-story commercial building. Forty minutes later, flames shot through the building’s roof, with the incident commander on the scene withdrawing firefighters from inside the building and transitioning to “defensive mode”—an exterior-only attack on the fire.

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Firefighters continued to battle the blaze from outside the building with ladder pipes and large-diameter hand line hoses, but the structure began to show signs of compromise as walls began to buckle. LAFD reported that the significant volume of textiles inside provided a “heavy fire load,” contributing to the strength of the flames.

By 9:30, firefighters said they had successfully contained the fire to the unit of origin, protecting the adjacent occupants. The textiles inside the building contained “deep seated hot spots,” which LAFD reported would continue to flare up as debris was pulled apart inside the building. The roof of the building collapsed inward, representing significant damage to the structure.

The building contains wholesale operations including LA Best Deal, Ruby Textile, which sells blankets and carpets, and Ling Fashion, a women’s and children’s casual apparel store, amid a row of other commercial businesses selling textile goods and apparel. Puzzles Enterprises Inc. owner Ziv Mizrahi told CBS Los Angeles that his clothing store, and others on the block, would likely suffer damages to stock due to the impacts of smoke and water. With declining foot traffic in the area, he said the fire would be yet another hit to small businesses in the Fashion District.

No injuries or casualties were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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