Dozens of cars scorched in fire

Fire gutted an abandoned building Sunday afternoon and destroyed dozens of new cars in a mostly industrial area near Griffith Park, fire officials said.

The blaze, which broke out about 2 p.m., was quickly contained, although the vacant single-story building in Atwater Village collapsed, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Heat from the blaze ignited a fire that quickly engulfed a cluster of cars parked in a lot next to the building.

Humphrey said that 53 vehicles, including several new Chryslers and Lincoln Town Cars belonging to local auto dealers, were either destroyed or damaged. The cause of the fire was under investigation.