A fire at a large apartment building in the Chinatown neighborhood early Friday left six people injured, including two firefighters, and temporarily displaced dozens of families.
At 3:43 a.m. Friday, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a fire that started at a construction site on Bunker Hill Avenue and then jumped to a nearby three-story apartment building, according to a news alert.
More than 130 firefighters were called to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire within an hour and a half. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
An estimated 70 people have been displaced from the apartment building while the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety assesses the residence to determine which units are safe to reoccupy.
Six people were injured in the fire, including a 90-year-old man who was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. A 55-year-old woman was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening burns. Two other people were evaluated for injuries but declined to be taken to the hospital.
One firefighter was taken to an occupational health center for an injury and another was being treated on-site for possible heat exhaustion.
An area resident told KTLA 5 that the construction site where the fire started had become a homeless encampment and neighbors had expressed concern that something like this could happen.
Fire officials have not said whether there were signs of a camp.
Authorities said the incident could cause traffic problems in the downtown area near West College, Alpine and Yale streets. Drivers are asked to take alternate routes.
