Firefighters knock down North Hollywood blaze that damaged several businesses
Glass shards littered the sidewalk outside a row of businesses in the NoHo Arts District after firefighters extinguished a blaze that broke out early Monday morning, authorities said.
The North Hollywood fire in the 5200 block of North Lankershim Boulevard damaged five businesses, notably Tokyo Delve’s Sushi Bar, which had blown-out windows, and ice cream shop Chill Rollz, where pipes and other pieces of equipment were knocked over. Greenhouse Juice Bar, District Pub NoHo and Joe Coffee also sustained varying levels of fire, smoke and water damage.
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene at 5:33 a.m. after heavy flames erupted. By 6:15 a.m., the fire had been deemed a “major emergency,” but no injuries were reported, officials said. More than 100 firefighters responded, working in defensive mode to spray heavy streams of water at the five-building fire, according to the LAFD. It took the fire crew more than two hours to knock down the blaze.
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Firefighters shut down Lankershim Boulevard from Magnolia Boulevard to Weddington Street and said the area would be blocked off through the morning. The LAFD’s arson department was at the scene to investigate the cause of the fire.
There was “effectively a structure fire in each of these buildings because it extended into the attic,” said Margaret Stewart, spokeswoman for the L.A. Fire Department, to KTLA.
Video of the fire showed Los Angeles police responding to the scene. LAPD officers detained three people, including two on battery charges and another for a misdemeanor warrant. A spokesperson for the LAPD said the arrests were not connected to the fire and that more details would be released as officers learned more.
The LAFD said one of the people in custody, an adult man, was transported from the scene with non-life-threatening injuries that were not related to the burning structure.
Witnesses at the scene told KTLA the men might have been owners of damaged businesses who got into an altercation.
“Exactly what transpired is yet to be determined,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said.
Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.
alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com
Twitter: @r_valejandra
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