A one-story structure fire broke out at approximately 8:55a Sunday morning. Flames quickly engulfed the building at 1001 North Orange Drive, just east of La Brea at the corner of Romaine (near the West Hollywood Target). Thick black smoke rose high in the air alerting concerned citizens near and far.
Among those who saw early signs of the fire were Larchmont Village neighbors Eileen and John Lanza. Heading home after an early hike at Runyon Canyon, the family noticed the smoke and immediately called 911. Eileen Lanza, a realtor at Keller Williams Realty on Larchmont Boulevard, sent pictures and updates from the location as LAFD began to arrive.
According to the LAFD, the stubborn fire required more than 100 firefighters. The building was home to Highland Plating Co., a business that uses materials that can be highly toxic, especially in the instance of fire. People who had gathered nearby were cleared out due to the hazardous materials in the air.
Photo gallery (hover over photos and use click through):
At 11am, LAFD declared a knockdown on the fire. The effort took 134 firefighters 2 hours and 2 minutes with no injuries.
Local Tweets:
Structure fire on Orange and Romaine. From Mulholland Tennis Club. pic.twitter.com/lIys49CE9t
— David Sampson (@djsampson) July 13, 2014
Huge fire looks like Hollywood pic.twitter.com/vDudFSUhp6
— Ana Garcia (@AnaGNews) July 13, 2014
Fire on Romaine & Orange/ looks vacant pic.twitter.com/oUZpt2wmzY
— Eileen Lanza (@TopRealtorLA) July 13, 2014
