Massive Los Angeles fire destroyed apartment building, snarled traffic on two freeways

Firefighters silhouetted against a wall of flames worked to put out a fire in L.A. that closed two portions of major highways early Monday morning. The building had been intended to be a residential structure. (AP)

More than250 firefighters battleda massive building fire near downtown Los Angeles a blaze that snarled traffic during the Monday morning commute and left some freeway lanes closed well into the day.

The fire began in an unoccupied multi-story building that took up almost an entire city block at around 1:20 a.m. There are so far no reports of injuries.The seven-story apartmentcomplex, which was still under construction, was engulfed in flames that could be seen for miles.

One fire station was almost directly across the street from the building, and firefighters were on the scene almost immediately after the fire began, according toLos Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz. But by that time, the fire had already moved quickly through the structure because it was under construction. According to the Los Angeles Times, the fire engulfed two-thirds of themore than 1.3 million square foot structure.

The L.A. Fire Department is investigating two massive fires in Los Angeles, including one downtown that closed portions of two major highways and blanketed the area in heavy smoke. (AP)

It was the perfect storm, if you will, for fire spread, Ortiz said in a phone interview. There were no dividing firewalls between the different components of it.

So we had five stories of a wood frame without any type of fire protection, he added, noting that the two lowerfloors of the complex were made of concrete and are still standing.

This is a historic fire, what we as firefighters would call a career fire, Ortiz told NBC News. Its huge. I really cant remember a building fire this big, and I have been with the department for 13 years.

The LAFD is conducting an arson investigation, which is standardprocedure for a large fire.They are being assisted by theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Los Angeles County.

All investigationsare treatedas if they are criminaluntil proven otherwise, said LAFD spokeswomanKatherine Maine.

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Massive Los Angeles fire destroyed apartment building, snarled traffic on two freeways