Los Angeles County firefighters battle a fire at an apartment building under construction next to the Harbor CA-110 Freeway in Los Angeles, early Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. The building was not occupied, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. (AP Photo/Damian ... more >

By Christopher Weber - Associated Press - Monday, December 8, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AP) Two raging fires in Los Angeles destroyed a massive residential complex under construction, heavily damaged a building undergoing renovations, and snarled rush hour traffic while raining ash over a large area early Monday.

More than 250 firefighters fought a downtown blaze that was sparked at a block-long construction site around 1:20 a.m., Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said. Flames visible for miles consumed the 7-story wood-framed structure and damaged two adjacent high-rises before being brought under control within 90 minutes.

The radiant heat was strong enough to burst windows in one building next door, Battalion Chief Joseph Castro said.

PHOTOS: Crews battle 2 large fires in Los Angeles

Three floors of that adjacent building were damaged by fire and several other floors sustained water damage. The building, which houses city offices, was closed for the day.

Embers spewed from the fire landed across a freeway, igniting brush and charring a traffic sign. But fortunately winds were light and did not blow the fire even farther.

Portions of U.S. Route 101 and Interstate 110 were shut down for a time over fears that debris might fall into lanes. The northbound 110 remained closed after sunrise, as commuter traffic backed up for miles.

No injuries were reported. The burned structure was planned to be a residential building. The site was still smoldering by midmorning and downtown was littered with ash.

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Los Angeles fires: Crews douse 2 large blazes at construction site

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) A fire destroyed a 7-story apartment building under construction and damaged two others early Monday morning in downtown.

The fire was reported around 1:20 a.m. at the 1.3-million-square-foot Da Vinci apartments, located at 906 N. Fremont Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

More than 250 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, including crews from nearby Fire Station 3.

They literally opened the door to see an entire city block with fire showing, Cpt. Jamie Moore said.

Crews attacked the wood-burning fire, which could be seen from across the city, from the ground and the Harbor Freeway.

The collapse of scaffolding and the structures wooden frame forced the closure of northbound Harbor (110) Freeway to the northbound 101 Freeway until 10 a.m. The northbound 110 Freeway to the southbound 101 remained partially closed until further notice.

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More than two-thirds of that occupancy was on fire causing significant exposure issues to two nearby high-rise buildings, LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said.

A 15-story Los Angeles County Health Department building, located at 313 Figueroa Street, suffered radiant heat damage, while a 16-story high-rise at 221 Figueroa Street had active fire on three floors of that building and sprinkler activation on six floors, Chief Terrazas said.

Authorities closed the 221 Figueroa building for business Monday and established a help line at 1-800-882-1482.

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Fire Destroys Apartment Building Under Construction In Downtown LA

Huge Los Angeles fire closes freeways An apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles caught fire early Monday morning and has shut down parts of two major freeways in the city, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The complex was reportedly under construction at the time of the fire.

Transition lanes between the 110 and 101 freeways have been shutdown, the state highway patrol told the LA Times.

The fire can be seen for miles in the LA area.

No injuries have been reported so far. It's not yet clear what started the fire. The fire broke out shortly before 1:30 a.m. Pacific time, KTLA reports.

More than 200 firefighters are on scene, according to the LA Times.

Damian Dovarganes/AP Los Angeles County firefighters battle a fire at an apartment building under construction next to the Harbor CA-110 Freeway in Los Angeles, early Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. The building was not occupied, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Here are some photos and videos of the fire:

Incredible shot of a fire at an under construction apartment complex in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/UmmiDNYHaR

#BREAKING: Apartment fire in DTLA shuts down the NB 110 transition to the NB 101 Freeway... pic.twitter.com/3zox9x73op

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A Massive Apartment Fire In LA Has Shut Down 2 Major Freeways

Hundreds of firefighters battled to contain a huge fire at an under-construction apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles early Monday. Flames and smoke from the blaze dominated the city skyline and officials told commuters to brace for a messy morning as a section of the Harbor Freeway was closed in both directions.

"This is a historic fire, what we as firefighters would call 'a career fire,'" said David Ortiz, public information officer at the Los Angeles Fire Department. "It's huge. I really can't remember a building fire this big and I have been with the department for 13 years."

Ortiz said it was too early to tell what caused the fire but said the seven-story building looked certain to be "completely lost." Fueled by the half-finished building's exposed wooden framework, radiant heat caused fire to break out in two office buildings across the street, Ortiz said. Those were quickly extinguished and there were no reports of injuries, he added.

The city's Harbor Freeway was closed in both directions near the fire. Another major artery through the city, Hollywood Freeway, remained open but was suffering under the pressure of spillover traffic. "This will impact local traffic for hours," said Ortiz, speaking at 3 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET). "The commute will be very difficult."

First published December 8 2014, 3:18 AM

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Huge Blaze Lights Up Los Angeles Skyline

Illustration: Matt Golding.

High-rise towers in inner Melbourne may be at risk of damage by fire and the residents could face other safety concerns,an audit of Victoria's building permit system found.

The audit revealed a pattern of poor compliance with regulations.

As fire authorities continue investigating the cause of a blaze at a 21-storey Docklands apartment building last month, The Sunday Age can reveal documents for hundreds of building permits checked by the state's construction watchdog were substandard, with many lacking key fire safety details.

Paperwork for 64 per cent of the commercial building permits audited lacked enough detail and drawings to tell if they met fire-resistance standards, leading the Victorian Building Authority to conclude the "buildings may be a risk to occupants in a fire situation".

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It could also potentially lead to "safety issues, particularly the safety of occupants in case of fire and the spread of fire within a building and between buildings".

The statewide audit examined 1000 permits from 20 different local government authorities and found 450 were missing information ranging from minor details to potentially alarming health and safety breaches.

The authority quizzed surveyors about the 450 substandard permits and found 95 per cent "posed no risk to health and safety," the authority's technical and regulation director Jarrod Edwards said.About 1 per cent with serious breaches needed enforcement action, he said.

But with 100,000 building permits issued in Victoria each year, thelack of compliance revealed by the audit sample suggests paperwork for as many as 2250 permits may harbour serious breaches, calling into question the effectiveness of fire safety and other building regulations.

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Fear over high-rise tower fire risk in Melbourne

Dec. 7, 2014, 12:15 a.m.

High-rise towers in inner Melbourne may be at risk of damage by fire and the residents could face other safety concerns, an audit of Victoria's building permit system found.

High-rise towers in inner Melbourne may be at risk of damage by fire and the residents could face other safety concerns,an audit of Victoria's building permit system found.

The audit revealed a pattern of poor compliance with regulations.

As fire authorities continue investigating the cause of a blaze at a 21-storey Docklands apartment building last month, The Sunday Age can reveal documents for hundreds of building permits checked by the state's construction watchdog were substandard, with many lacking key fire safety details.

Paperwork for 64 per cent of the commercial building permits audited lacked enough detail and drawings to tell if they met fire-resistance standards, leading the Victorian Building Authority to conclude the "buildings may be a risk to occupants in a fire situation".

It could also potentially lead to "safety issues, particularly the safety of occupants in case of fire and the spread of fire within a building and between buildings".

The statewide audit examined 1000 permits from 20 different local government authorities and found 450 were missing information ranging from minor details to potentially alarming health and safety breaches.

The authority quizzed surveyors about the 450 substandard permits and found 95 per cent "posed no risk to health and safety," the authority's technical and regulation director Jarrod Edwards said.About 1 per cent with serious breaches needed enforcement action, he said.

But with 100,000 building permits issued in Victoria each year, thelack of compliance revealed by the audit sample suggests paperwork for as many as 2250 permits may harbour serious breaches, calling into question the effectiveness of fire safety and other building regulations.

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Audit fans fire safety concerns in apartments

ENGLEWOOD The Planning Board unanimously approved a 185-unit apartment building Thursday that will be built on the site of the former Lincoln School and the citys firehouse.

The project is the first major residential development in Englewood since the Towne Center apartments were built, according to Mayor Frank Huttle III. Towne Centre, on West Palisade Avenue, opened about seven years ago.

Huttle said the project will provide the engine for growth of the citys downtown, one of the goals identified in the citys recently-adopted master plan.

This is a new day for our city, Huttle said after the Planning Boards vote. It signals that Englewood is open for business, he said.

In April, the City Council designated Englewood Builders Urban Renewal Co., LLC as the redeveloper for the site on William Street. The city will receive $7.9 million for the property, which is about 2.5 acres.

Under its agreement with the city, for the first 15 years, Englewood Builders will make annual payments based on the amount of rent it takes in rather than pay property taxes. The company must pay the city 12 percent its gross rental income for the first five years. That amount goes up to 12.5 percent for the next five years, and then to 13 percent for the final five years.

The building will be five stories high and about 94,000 square feet. Construction cannot begin until the city finishes building its new firehouse, which will be on South Van Brunt Street between the Police Department and the ambulance corps building. That construction is scheduled to be completed by next fall.

Email: lueddeke@northjersey.com

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Englewood Planning Board approves 185-unit apartment building

Wave of New Construction Expected to Peak Next Year, Pushing Up Vacancy and Increasing Competition for Renters Even as Conditions Continue To Favor Strong Demand for Apts.

CoStar Group economists are forecasting that apartment vacancy rates will rise in 46 of the 54 top U.S. metros over the next four quarters due to the massive wave of current apartment deliveries and new apartment projects starting almost daily.

According to their most recent analysis, the U.S. apartment vacancy rate will rise from the current 4.1% to over 5% by the end of 2015. Although a significant trend shift, apartment vacancies are still expected to remain near 10-year lows across most of the nation, even with the addition of hundreds of thousands of new units.

"At this point in the cycle, weve seen supply take hold almost everywhere," Yuen said. "Some late-recovery markets like Las Vegas arent yet seeing vacancy increases yet, but even there, developers are beginning to find opportunities."

Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Houston have each seen more than 10,000 units delivered over past four quarters, while apartment inventories in smaller markets like Charlotte and Raleigh have increased by nearly 5% as apartment construction fans out. Denver and Houston, each with upwards of 20,000 units under construction, will see record deliveries over the next two years, Yuen added. Despite the expected impact on rents from all the new construction, because most of the new building is expensive luxury properties, analysts noted a widening affordability gap. In the Oakland/East Bay Area, for example, the average income has risen by about 15% to over $75,000 in the strengthening economy. However, rents have grown by a staggering 30% over the same period and now require more than 25% of annual income, Yuen said.

"Lack of affordability is certainly something we are beginning to see capping rent growth, especially at the high end of the market," Yuen said.

Year-over-year growth in effective rents, which has gradually decelerated since 2013, is expected to drift below 2% in tertiary and secondary as well as the top U.S. markets during 2015 and 2016.

"We've been surprised by the low levels of concessions we're seeing today, given the large amount of new supply," said CoStar director of U.S. research, multifamily Luis Mejia, a co-presenter along with quantitative analyst Mark Hickey.

But with rent growth slowing further and more supply on the way, property income growth is also expected to finally slow down heading into 2015, which may prompt investors to buy more office buildings rather than apartments in search of higher yields, the analysts noted.

Net operating income (NOI) for apartments, which peaked at about 6% in mid-2012 and was the only major property type to show growth from 2010 to 2013, is now the only sector to show year-over-year income deceleration.

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Apartment Construction Boom Slowing Rent Increases as Market Shifts Into Expansion Phase

Wave of New Construction Expected to Peak Next Year, Pushing Up Vacancy and Increasing Competition for Renters Even as Conditions Continue To Favor Strong Demand for Apts.

CoStar Group economists are forecasting that apartment vacancy rates will rise in 46 of the 54 top U.S. metros over the next four quarters due to the massive wave of current apartment deliveries and new apartment projects starting almost daily.

According to their most recent analysis, the U.S. apartment vacancy rate will rise from the current 4.1% to over 5% by the end of 2015. Although a significant trend shift, apartment vacancies are still expected to remain near 10-year lows across most of the nation, even with the addition of hundreds of thousands of new units.

"At this point in the cycle, weve seen supply take hold almost everywhere," Yuen said. "Some late-recovery markets like Las Vegas arent yet seeing vacancy increases yet, but even there, developers are beginning to find opportunities."

Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Houston have each seen more than 10,000 units delivered over past four quarters, while apartment inventories in smaller markets like Charlotte and Raleigh have increased by nearly 5% as apartment construction fans out. Denver and Houston, each with upwards of 20,000 units under construction, will see record deliveries over the next two years, Yuen added. Despite the expected impact on rents from all the new construction, because most of the new building is expensive luxury properties, analysts noted a widening affordability gap. In the Oakland/East Bay Area, for example, the average income has risen by about 15% to over $75,000 in the strengthening economy. However, rents have grown by a staggering 30% over the same period and now require more than 25% of annual income, Yuen said.

"Lack of affordability is certainly something we are beginning to see capping rent growth, especially at the high end of the market," Yuen said.

Year-over-year growth in effective rents, which has gradually decelerated since 2013, is expected to drift below 2% in tertiary and secondary as well as the top U.S. markets during 2015 and 2016.

"We've been surprised by the low levels of concessions we're seeing today, given the large amount of new supply," said CoStar director of U.S. research, multifamily Luis Mejia, a co-presenter along with quantitative analyst Mark Hickey.

But with rent growth slowing further and more supply on the way, property income growth is also expected to finally slow down heading into 2015, which may prompt investors to buy more office buildings rather than apartments in search of higher yields, the analysts noted.

Net operating income (NOI) for apartments, which peaked at about 6% in mid-2012 and was the only major property type to show growth from 2010 to 2013, is now the only sector to show year-over-year income deceleration.

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Apartment Construction Boom Finally Slowing Rent Increases as Market Shifts Into Expansion Phase

Construction activity took a tumble in November, sparking concerns about the health of the economy.

Construction activity took a tumble in November, sparking further concerns about the health of the economy.

The construction industry contracted for the first time since May, according to figures from the Australian Industry Group and Housing Industry Association on Friday.

The Performance of Construction Index dropped eight points to 45.4 in November - below the 50 level that separates expansion from contraction.

A slowdown in public building activity and demand for housing were also weighing on the industry, with the reduced workload forcing job losses, the report said.

The disappointing report comes after official figures on Wednesday showed a shock slowdown in the Australian economy in the September quarter, sparking debate about whether the cash rate should be slashed to a new record low.

Growth in house and apartment building decelerated in November, amid a decline in new orders, the report said.

But home building will need to re-accelerate in coming months, if it's going to help offset the slowdown in mining construction.

"Perceptions regarding Australia's short-term economic outlook have dampened recently and today's result will hardly buoy the prevailing mood," HIA chief economist Harley Dale said.

"The rate of expansion in detached house and apartment building activity slowed in November.

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Concern grows as construction tumbles