Arson investigators Sunday were trying to figure out just what caused a fire at a three-story commercial building in Playa Vista which was knocked down by about 100 firefighters in under two hours.
Firefighters dispatched to 11869 Teale St. reported seeing flames showing from the third floor of the building occupied by Innovation Line, a supplier of promotional products, said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Additional units were requested and at some point during the blaze, firefighting efforts went into defensive mode, Scott said.
“Firefighters worked aggressively to battle the intense flames under very hot conditions and worked to ventilate the structure,” he said. “However, the conditions rapidly deteriorated until it was unsafe to have firefighters inside.”
The incident commander radioed for firefighters to get out of the building and wage a defensive fight, he said. “Firefighters swiftly deployed large diameter hand lines and ladder pipes from aerial ladder trucks to keep the fire in check and ensured no nearby structures were damaged.”
Firefighters had the Saturday morning fire out, Scott said. The Department of Building and Safety assessed the building’s integrity and determined the first and second floors were sound, enabling firefighters go to back inside to extinguish hot spots.
The building was occupied by workers when the fire started and they tried to put it out with extinguishers until firefighters arrived, he said.
No injuries were reported.
—City News Service