Firefighters battle large fire at cannabis operation in downtown Los Angeles

Will Conybeare
·2 min read
17

A large fire at a cannabis operation sent plumes of smoke towards downtown Los Angeles on Saturday morning.

According to preliminary information from the Los Angeles Fire Department, the blaze was first reported around 8 a.m. at a two-story commercial building 1400 East Newton Street.

Video from the Citizen App shows a massive plume of black smoke coming from the building and being blown towards downtown.

  • A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (Citizen App)
    A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (Citizen App)
  • A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (Citizen App)
    A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (Citizen App)
  • A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (Citizen App)
    A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (Citizen App)
  • A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (KTLA)
    A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (KTLA)
  • A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (KTLA)
    A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (KTLA)
  • A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (KTLA)
    A large fire erupted at a building in L.A.’s Fashion District, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air across downtown Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 2024. (KTLA)

Information released later on Saturday morning by LAFD officials states that 145 firefighters took just under an hour to extinguish the flames which had engulfed the 69-year-old structure, which housed a cannabis operation.

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“The structure, heavily damaged by the intense fire, appears to have housed a cannabis operation,” LAFD said. “Whether this was a legally permitted business has yet to be determined.”

LAFD also stated that four of the first firefighters experienced an “unexpected burning sensation” on their faces. They were taken to a nearby hospital in fair condition as part of the department’s protocol.

No other injuries were reported, but a pair of cadaver canines were requested due to eyewitnesses telling officials that two people may have been inside.

What started the fire remains unknown.

Luis Zuñiga and Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this report.

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