(Bloomberg) -- Fire engulfed a huge apartment complex under construction in downtown Los Angeles, closing freeways and snarling traffic for Monday-morning commuters.
The blaze started at about 1 a.m. local time, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Katharine Main. The complex, which covers an entire city block, drew more than 250 firefighters. As of about 7 a.m., the fire was contained, though the northbound 110 Freeway bisecting downtown remained closed. Firefighters were trying to put out the last remnants, Main said.
The structure that caught fire is Building A of the Da Vinci, developed by G. H. Palmer Associates, owner Geoff Palmer said in an e-mail. Palmer said an adjacent Building B is on schedule to open in January. He declined to comment further.
The development at 906 N. Fremont Ave. includes more than 1 million square feet (92,900 square meters), according to the Fire Department’s Twitter feed. The fire also damaged two adjoining buildings, one by radiant heat and one by water from fire hoses, Main said.
Above: State highway workers watch as Los Angeles firefighters work to put out the fire later this morning. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
The project is part of a downtown redevelopment that includes more than 21,000 residential units and 3,780 hotel rooms currently under construction or planned. Many are financed by investors in China, Singapore and Korea and U.S. developers.
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